Veg For Life

I got my first issue of Veg For Life today. It was quite an eye-opener for me. I did not know that the male chicks were killed because they are of no use to the chicken farmers that grow layers. They are a different breed that are raised for broilers. They stated in the pamphlet that the chicks were smothered in plastic bags then thrown away. Given my past with chicks, I may have to rethink my position on eggs.

When I was young, I had a fondness for chicks. My aunt used to tell me about the little bantam chick I carried around in my hand as a toddler. They’d take it away from me and the poor thing would be wet from the sweat in my hand. She thought for sure I would kill it. But that bantam grew to be Polly, one of the sweetest birds in the brood. She was friendly to humans and use to ride her chicks on her back.

Later I would get Easter biddies, which were chicks dyed Easter egg colors. They were so funny looking when their feathers grew out. They would still have some of the pink or blue down among the white wings and tail feathers. They grew up into beautiful white birds and died a natural death, never being killed for food.

I grew up taking the slaughter of chickens for granted. Especially after the time I got trapped in the chicken pen. I didn't realize that the only way chickens could look at you was sideways, since their eyes are on the side of their heads. When I went into gather eggs once, the chickens got between me and the gate. I thought they were sizing me up for attack. And when the bantam rooster got into the game, flapping his wings at me, I was ready to get out of there! Granny came to my rescue when I started letting out blood-curdling screams. I'm sure she expected to see a reinactment of Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Looking back, the whole thing seems so ridiculous...the poor dumb birds probably just thought I was going to feed them...