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Comment by JamesLefrere | Hacker News Reader

I also used to have back garden hens, but in my opinion the moral argument stands up to examination.

Consider:

* The modern chicken is quite different to its wild ancestors, and lays eggs about 20 times more frequently (the eggs are also larger). I'd call it genetic exploitation.

* The male chickens are (most likely) killed after hatching in preference of the females you'll keep.

* They may be safe from predators, but is the loss of freedom, a natural environment and normal biological functions a price worth paying?

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Your moral argument assumes we can undo thousands upon thousands of years of selective breeding. We can't.

I've raised chickens since I was a kid. We kept males and females. When the chickens stopped laying, we ate them too.

This idea that something "isn't natural" so it's wrong is ridiculous. Human technology has drastically altered the planet and we need to focus on how to work in it as opposed to fantasizing about how nice it would be if we could go back to the stone age.

So by all means, be vegan. Refuse to consume farm animals. 99.9% of the world will not. Your efforts are drowned out. Hopefully the moral superiority you gain will be an acceptable consolation prize.

I think if you are going to eat meat and dairy, then do it the right way, as you have. But, I would not underestimate the move towards more conscious eating such as veganism. Personally if I can reduce any unnecessary suffering through what I eat and still live healthily then I will do so and I am seeing a lot of others move in a similar direction.

>unnecessary suffering through what I eat

I guess plant life, bacteria and fungi don't count?

> I'd call it genetic exploitation.

Not really relevant. It's already done, and the alternative is chicken extinction. We can live symbiotically with chickens, or we can let them go extinct for vegan ideals.

> They may be safe from predators, but is the loss of freedom, a natural environment and normal biological functions a price worth paying?

Humans did this in forming societies, so clearly we by and large think the answer is yes.

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