Is eating free range eggs just as bad as eating the eggs of caged chickens?

"Free range" is a joke. Honestly, I think the term only exists to make people feel better.

From Compassion Over Killing:

"There is no inspection system for companies that label their eggs “free-range.”

The popular myth that “free-range” egg-laying hens enjoy fresh grass, bask in the sunlight, scratch the earth, sit on their nests, and engage in other natural habits is often just that: a myth. In many commercial “free-range” egg farms, hens are crowded inside windowless sheds with little more than a single, narrow exit leading to an enclosure, too small to accommodate all of the birds at once.

Both battery cage and “free-range” egg hatcheries kill all male chicks shortly after birth. Since male chicks cannot lay eggs and are different breeds than those chickens raised for meat, they are of no use to the egg industry. Standard killing methods, even among “free-range” producers, include grinding male chicks alive or throwing them into trash bags and leaving them to suffocate.

Whether kept in sheds or cages, laying hens—who can naturally live more than ten years—are considered “spent” when they are just one or two years old and their productivity wanes. Rather than being retired, “free-range” hens are slaughtered to make room for another shed of birds."

First of all, a vegan wouldn't eat eggs. Second of all, there are different types of vegetarians. An ovo-vegetarian will eat eggs, other types may or may not. It all depends on the reason that the person is a vegetarian. If they are doing it for the environment or their health, it might not matter to them whether or not the egg was free-range. I am a vegetarian. I don't drink milk very often at all, and I don't like eggs much either, but when I do eat them, they're not free-range. So I guess you could say that I'm guilty of this? However, you stating that you are not a "holier than thou vegetarian" kind of proves that you think that you are a "holier than thou non-vegetarian who eats free range." The point is, people can what they want. Maybe this person is too critical of your diet which has made you a little hasty about what she eats. Just because she is a vegetarian does not mean that she is a better person than you, just as you are no better than a person who doesn't eat free-range. Everything you eat is your personal decision, and if it is good enough for you, then it shouldn't matter to anyone else. I'm not trying to be rude. It is a good thing that you eat free-range, and in my opinion it would be better if you didn't eat meat at all, but that is just my opinion. You are allowed to have your own beliefs and as long as you are happy with yourself and what you are doing that should be enough.

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Free range just means the chicken is not kept in a cage or shed 24/7. Often, though, free range chickens never see the outside, for example:

There is a long shed. The chickens nearest the door are highest in the pecking order. The chickens at the back of the shed are low in the pecking order and are scared to cross the other chicken's territory, so it never goes out.

Ever seen the film "chicken run"? If you have, then remember how cruel the farmers were? They were free range.

Sometimes, the chickens just have limited access to the outdoors, so they might be allowed outside in a muddy paddock for half an hour a day, and because they are allowed outside sometimes, it is classed as free range, but they are more like barn hens.

If you want to make sure you do not cause unnecessary cruelty, I suggest going to your local farm and asking to see the chickens living conditions. Pretty pictures on the front of egg boxes does not usually mean much.

You could also check out the website of one of the producers who claims to be 'cruelty free' and see how chicken friendly they really are.

And I totally agree with Hala, too, and Karma because I think is also right to trust your instincts. Kirbyish got it spot on.

it's a little better but not by much. most free range eggs really mean that the hens aren't stuck in battery cages and are instead jam packed in a warehouse & maybe allowed outside an hour a day.

i know how you feel. i was vegan until i developed a gluten intolerance and then i added a little bit of dairy back into my diet because it was just too much restriction.

free range eggs are better than non free range but it's best to abstain.

Free-range is a bunch of greenwashing. As someone pointed out, male layer chicks are still killed at birth; "spent" hens are still turned into low-quality pot-pies, nuggets, and soup; the hens don't have much more room then their caged sisters. Unless you can actually see the conditions under which the hens are kept, you can't be sure they have the good life the "free-range" labeling implies.

If you feel bad about consuming products with eggs, you can stop and learn to bake without eggs and find treats without them.

It depends on how you look at it. It's not as cruel to the adult chickens, but there is another issue you might not have thought of. It might not matter to you, but free-range eggs have the potential of being fertilized. Caged ones are essentially just the period of the hen.

i just eat the fresh eggs that i get from my grandmother. i know they get to run around her yard all day, because i'm there to see it. i also think some of my family thinks im weird for being vegetarian, but since having chicken as pets, no one wants to eat chicken there anymore.

Any improvement is better than none at all. However, when it comes to "free range" eggs consumers must still be wary for a number of reasons. One main reason is that even the standards regulating the free range industry allow significant cruelty. Practices such as debeaking are still permitted under Range Care Standards. Also "spent" hens still end up in the slaughterhouse regardless of whether they were free range or battery hens. And all male chicks are still killed soon after hatching. So many of the cruel practices of the battery system are still practiced in the free range egg farming industry too.

Another reason for consumer conciousness is the lack of a uniform labelling system. Many companies try to decieve consumers by misleading labelling or unclear terms and even simply using small fonts and unclear text. Some companies have even been known to substitute barn or battery eggs for free range. Of course this is not allowed but it does happen.

That being said though, there can be a significant improvement. The guidlines do not allow practices such as toe trimming, ensure birds must be vaccinated, have access to open space, cannot be force moulted, and all farms must be audited. Stocking desities are also limited and birds must be provided with nest boxes.

So clearly any improvement is better than no improvements at all. I'm sure the free range hens appreciate the opens space and nest boxes alot more than barren wire cages.

The Australian standards can be found here. I think there may be similar standards in the UK or US http://www.frepa.com.au/standards-pf.html

Regarding "conventional" battery farms. Egg laying hens are tortured, debeaked, force moulted, crammed with between 4 and 12 other birds, stacked in crates, thrown, covered in one another’s excrement, suffer from painful cuts and lacerations due to sharp wire cages, male chicks are killed and considered an industry waste product, they have less than an A4 piece of paper in which to live, they never see the light of day, and are never allowed to exhibit natural behaviour.

(battery hens living conditions)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4_R5sGHIGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP8Q7ZN1IkQ

Just do some research on the particular producer to make sure what their idea of "cage free" is. There are no FDA rules except that the hens must spend at least part of every day uncaged.

You might see if you can find someone locally-I get the most amazing eggs from a friend who sells them. Her birds are like pets to her.