A straightforward question like this should yield a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, right? Well, in this case, things may be just a little more nuanced.
Vegans Don’t Eat Eggs
Let’s start with this simple and clear statement: vegans don’t eat eggs because eggs are produced commercially by an industry that exploits animals who are forced to endure enormous physical, emotional, and psychological suffering. Since vegans do all they can to opt out of systems that exploit and harm animals, it is obvious they would not eat eggs. So far, so clear. But what about eating the eggs laid by backyard hens who are not exploited or suffering? Well, that depends on where they are from, how they are and were treated, and on the ethical lines that individual vegans draw.
How Vegan Are Vegans?
This is not a trick question! Vegans agree that eating or wearing parts of animals or buying products that have harmed them is out of the question—as far as is possible and practicable. That last part comes from The Vegan Society’s definition of veganism and if anyone knows what a vegan is, they do. This caveat allows for people who need life-saving or life-protecting medications that contain animal products or were tested on animals to still be vegan. It also allows for ethical vegans with disabilities or other limiting factors to remain vegan, even if there are times when a strict vegan diet simply is not possible or practicable. So there are many vegans who are not 100% vegan 100% of the time.
In fact, if we are honest, none of us can be 100% vegan 100% of the time. We live in a world where animal exploitation is all around us but well-hidden and may be found in the tyres on our car, for example, or the dyes in our carpets. Plus we each have an ethical boundary which might be different for different people. Most vegans won’t kill flies, for example, but what about fleas who are biting a rescued companion animal? That certainly seems like a greyer area.
To state the obvious, there is no one homogeneous block of people called VEGANS who all have the exact same experiences, views, and abilities. We are all individuals doing the best we can to prevent animals from suffering as far as is possible and practicable in our own circumstances. So, what does all this mean for backyard hens? Well, there are questions to discuss there, too.
Backyard Hens: Where Did They Come From?
Some people buy hens specifically so they can eat their eggs. These birds come from breeders, where conditions may vary along the spectrum from a kind home to a horrible factory farm. Knowing where they came from may affect our view but on its own, it does not give us sufficient information to make a judgement on the morality of eating the eggs, because there is another huge ethical consideration. Only female hens can lay eggs and half the birds hatched are male. Very few people want roosters and so most of the male birds are killed. Knowing this, it doesn’t really matter how nice the hens’ home was if all their brothers had their necks broken because their bodies could not be monetized. And irrespective of the conditions of the breeder, most vegans do not believe it is ethical to buy, sell, and own another being simply because you want their bodies or their labor. For all these reasons, vegans would not eat eggs from hens who were bred and sold for the purpose of laying eggs.

Photo: We Animals Media
Rescuing Hens
Conditions in commercial egg farms are so harsh that many birds cannot survive them. Those who do are so physically depleted within 18 months that their egg production declines and the industry chooses to slaughter them and replace them with younger, more profitable birds. A very small number of hens get rescued, and these exhausted survivors need a lot of care, love, and patience to recover. Kind souls with time, commitment and space offer them homes and do just that.
It is not easy to care for hens well. Like rabbits, they need a lot of space and enrichment, but they are also extremely vulnerable to predators. Giving them the life they deserve while protecting them is incredibly difficult but absolutely essential.
Is It OK to Eat Eggs From Rescued Hens?
Egg-laying is a biological process over which the birds have no control, and rescued hens continue to lay eggs, sometimes for many years, even though this comes at the expense of their bone health.
Would a vegan who had offered hens a happy, safe, and loving home eat their eggs? Some might; others would not.

Eating Eggs From Rescued Hens: For and Against
The case for eating the eggs is this: the hens lay them anyway, and since they are not fertilized they will never become a chick. The hens do not want the eggs, so they would otherwise be wasted. It does the birds no harm if I eat the eggs and being vegan is all about ensuring we do not harm animals.
The case against eating the eggs is this: those eggs are not ours to take. The birds have already been exploited to produce them, but that does not mean we should be complicit in that exploitation. Giving the birds a loving and safe home is not contingent on us getting something in return.
What Do Vegans Do With Eggs From Rescued Hens?
Whether vegans eat them or not, rescued hens will probably keep laying eggs. Often, vegans allow the hens to fulfill their natural behaviors and sit on the eggs for as long as they want, but not all hens want to do that with every egg. In those cases, some people may add the eggs to the food of other rescued animals like dogs. Others may give them to friends, family members, or neighbors who still consume eggs—that way, those people will not be funding the cruel commercial egg industry. However, some vegans may still find endorsing egg consumption by any means problematic.

Conclusion
Whether it is ethical to eat the eggs of backyard hens is a complicated issue with many variables brought into the mix. Plus, individual vegans each have their own ethical lines and may be motivated by different beliefs. Some are motivated by doing no harm (and so may eat the eggs of rescued birds), while others are motivated by ending all exploitation (and so wouldn’t).
What do you think?