It is ok if I eat eggs from hens in gardens of small houses because the hens are not in factory cages.
There are still all the health risks of eating eggs.
If the chickens were originally purchased from a farmer or breeder, you are still contributing to the problem with commercial egg production.
Chickens today have been selectively bred to be the most efficient for factory farming, producing up to 300 eggs a year rather than the 10 – 20 eggs that would be laid by the wild red jungle fowl, the ancestor from which modern hens have been engineered. Producing so many eggs leads to many problems for the hens like calcium depletion leading to fractures, egg binding (eggs getting physically stuck in their bodies), egg yolk peritonitis (yolk getting stuck in their bodies), and prolapses. Taking their eggs away also prevents them from their natural instinct of brooding over their eggs.
There is still a power imbalance. The hens are there to serve a purpose of providing a product. Unlike a dog or cat who are kept for the joy of their company, backyard hens are often killed once they stop producing eggs. If owners loved the hens, they could give hormone shots to reduce the speed at which they produce eggs to reduce the toll it takes on their bodies.
Topic: FAQ – Animals
