I am not vegan. Hell, I am not even vegetarian. I went through a vegetarian stage when in college but that is about it. Many of my friends are vegetarian and/or vegan...in college my roommate was vegan. I am against big industry farming. I only eat meat a few times a week and I buy my dairy and meat from the farmer's market and a local CSA group. I support local farming. I am an aspiring homesteader myself and I have an immense respect for those who embrace a self sustaining lifestyle.
I recently had a discussion with a (new) vegan friend that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. She was telling me that it was unethical to consume the eggs of your own backyard chickens. I tried to explain to her that the difference between eggs produced on a commercial level and the eggs from your own pet chickens was infinitesimal, but she wouldn't have it. How is eating the egg of an animal you lovingly care for (that is going to lay that egg whether you are there or not) a crime against nature?
I then went on to tell her about a friend that I admire who raises her own dairy goats and makes her own cheese. Her goats are like her children. When I asked her what she thought about it, she shrugged and said she felt it was unnatural and "wrong" from any angle to consume the milk of another animal and raise animals that produce milk for your selfish purposes.
She seemed to get really uncomfortable when I pressed her about it further, so I dropped it. I just don't understand how you can lump commercial farming and homesteading into the same category at all. I feel like eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, responsible and humane methods of farming and raising your own animals does exist, and I feel when done right, there is nothing wrong with it! Hell, there is even something admirable about it!
Then I began wondering what she thought about animal husbandry overall, and about me keeping a horse. Is that also against her ethics because I "own" and "use" this animal for my own selfish purposes? And really, what is the difference between my owning a horse and her owning her dog? It makes me wonder where it all stops and begins.
I suppose I have some residual resentment on the subject because my vegan roommate in college used to lecture me on the evils of meat consumption and make me feel incredibly guilty if I ate dairy around her. I also found her choices perplexing as she was raised in the city, had never set foot on a real farm, and had never seen a real chicken or cow in her life. I always had the feeling she was being trendy with her choice to go vegan, and that infuriated me.
What is your view/experience on the matter?

I recently had a discussion with a (new) vegan friend that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. She was telling me that it was unethical to consume the eggs of your own backyard chickens. I tried to explain to her that the difference between eggs produced on a commercial level and the eggs from your own pet chickens was infinitesimal, but she wouldn't have it. How is eating the egg of an animal you lovingly care for (that is going to lay that egg whether you are there or not) a crime against nature?
I then went on to tell her about a friend that I admire who raises her own dairy goats and makes her own cheese. Her goats are like her children. When I asked her what she thought about it, she shrugged and said she felt it was unnatural and "wrong" from any angle to consume the milk of another animal and raise animals that produce milk for your selfish purposes.
She seemed to get really uncomfortable when I pressed her about it further, so I dropped it. I just don't understand how you can lump commercial farming and homesteading into the same category at all. I feel like eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, responsible and humane methods of farming and raising your own animals does exist, and I feel when done right, there is nothing wrong with it! Hell, there is even something admirable about it!
Then I began wondering what she thought about animal husbandry overall, and about me keeping a horse. Is that also against her ethics because I "own" and "use" this animal for my own selfish purposes? And really, what is the difference between my owning a horse and her owning her dog? It makes me wonder where it all stops and begins.
I suppose I have some residual resentment on the subject because my vegan roommate in college used to lecture me on the evils of meat consumption and make me feel incredibly guilty if I ate dairy around her. I also found her choices perplexing as she was raised in the city, had never set foot on a real farm, and had never seen a real chicken or cow in her life. I always had the feeling she was being trendy with her choice to go vegan, and that infuriated me.
What is your view/experience on the matter?

