What is the problem with eggs?

Created on: March 18, 2026
Last edited on: March 18, 2026

Eggs may seem harmless at first glance - a little in a cake here, a breakfast egg there. But when you look behind the scenes of egg production, you find a disturbing system of abuse. In addition, it is a misconception that animals only end up in the slaughterhouse because of meat. But one thing at a time: 

 

Why do chickens lay eggs?

In the bodies of female chickens, egg cells form and develop into eggs with nutrients and a shell. This process occurs regularly even without fertilization. Only if an egg cell has previously been fertilized by a sperm does the egg contain an embryo. If a fertilized egg is incubated, a chick develops from it.
So far, so good - but where is the problem?

The breeding

To make the production of eggs possible at all, so-called parent animals are kept - meaning roosters and hens together. The fertilized eggs are taken from the animals and incubated in hatcheries. The goal is to continually breed new laying hens and keep the machinery running.

In addition to the often cramped housing conditions, the mating itself can also be very stressful, especially for the female animals. During the process, the roosters hold on to the hens’ backs with their claws and beaks, which can lead to feather loss, skin injuries, and open wounds. The hens are often mounted several times a day. In large flocks, they can hardly avoid the advances of male animals, which increases the risk of injuries.

The killing of chicks

Chickens are bred for two different purposes: laying hens, which produce many eggs, and broiler chickens, which gain meat quickly. Male chicks from laying hen breeding can neither lay eggs nor gain much meat. Therefore, they are considered “useless”. In English-speaking countries such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, or India, they are therefore thrown into chick shredders or gassed.

For a long time, this was also the case in Germany. The killing of chicks is now banned here - however, that does not mean the problem has disappeared. In Germany, the sex of the embryos in the egg is usually determined. Male embryos are sorted out. In rare cases, the so-called “brother roosters” are raised for about 3-4 months and then murdered for meat. In addition, many eggs are imported from neighboring countries where the killing of chicks is still allowed. Chicks from Germany are also transported there.

The life of a laying hen

The female chicks are raised to become so-called laying hens. They are bred to lay extremely many eggs - far more than their ancestors. While a wild chicken lays about 10 to 20 eggs per year, laying hens produce around 300! This maximum performance often comes with health problems such as severe physical exhaustion, bone fractures due to calcium loss, and inflammation of the oviduct and the cloaca.

In addition, chickens usually live in very large groups. This leads to stress and fights for rank, feather pecking and cannibalism, as well as the spread of diseases.

If a barn is affected by notifiable diseases such as avian influenza, all chickens in it are murdered to stop the spread. Standard methods include gassing with CO2 or nitrogen and suffocation with foam. The carcasses are then collected in containers. Reports from inspections show that in some cases live animals were still found among the carcasses.

While chickens could actually live at least 8 to 10 years, in reality they end up at the slaughterhouse after about 12 to 18 months. The reason is simple: egg production declines over time. As soon as a hen lays fewer eggs, she is considered unprofitable and replaced with younger animals.
In the end, the laying hens appear on plates as soup chickens, sausage products, or ready-made meals. Anyone who believes that no animals die for eggs and that egg consumption has nothing to do with the meat industry should now know otherwise.
Do you want to see it with your own eyes? Watch the documentary DOMINION 📺 From minute 23 onward, it focuses on laying hens.

 

Can you live without eggs?

Eggs are often seen primarily as a source of protein. In reality, however, they are not necessary to get protein or to eat a healthy diet. Protein is also found in many plant-based foods such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, soy chunks, and legumes. In our Protein Guide, you can learn more about vegan protein sources 💪

Overall, the consensus of major nutrition organizations is that a vegan diet without eggs can meet nutritional needs and be healthy when vitamin B12 is supplemented. It is also interesting that chickens themselves are supplemented with certain vitamins and minerals such as calcium. So we are consuming supplements either way - the question is simply whether we do it through an animal or take them ourselves and live vegan.

 

Are eggs healthy?

Substitution analyses generally show no consistently reproducible advantages of animal proteins, including eggs, over more "whole" plant-based foods such as legumes, whole grains, or soy products. This means: when animal proteins are replaced with plant proteins, studies show no clear, repeatedly confirmed benefit for the animal products. There is no consistent evidence that animal proteins are inherently superior to plant proteins.

In addition, the cholesterol in eggs can significantly increase LDL levels in a substantial portion of the population (so-called cholesterol hyperresponders; roughly one-third of people). High LDL levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

 

Replace eggs with vegan alternatives

Replacing eggs with vegan alternatives works much more easily than many people think. Which substitute works best depends on the purpose of use. With a few simple tricks, eggs can be replaced easily in both cooking and baking:

For vegan scrambled eggs, you can use tofu. A vegan omelette can be made from chickpea flour. In both cases, Kala Namak salt is the secret ingredient for an authentic egg flavor 🥚✅
For baking without eggs, applesauce and banana work well for moisture, while flaxseeds or chia seeds (soaked in water) provide binding. Ready-made vegan egg alternatives (especially for scrambled eggs or baking) are also now available in many supermarkets. This makes plant-based eating even easier to implement in everyday life.

👉 Learn more and find specific recipes in or guide on HOW TO REPLACE FOODS WITH VEGAN ALTERNATIVES.

Tofu scramble 

 

Conclusion

Egg production is based on selectively breeding animals to be as “high-performing” as possible, eliminating male chicks, and murdering the laying hens after a short time as well. Behind every egg that is bought stands a system that treats sentient animals as production units.
By living vegan, we consciously choose not to support this system. The good news: we can live without eggs, and there are really good vegan alternatives and plant-based protein sources. To help guide you in putting this into practice, we have compiled all the important information on HOW VEGAN 🤝

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