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Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by AlexandrB on Thursday February 20, 2025 @09:46AM (#43115289)
The dark truth about keeping chickens and many other poultry is that they hatch in an approximately 1:1 male:female ratio, but can't be kept in that ratio without severe conflict and stress. Thus, hatching chickens to keep for egg-laying requires killing most of the male chicks. So yes, you have to kill chickens to eat eggs.
Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by osullivj on Thursday February 20, 2025 @11:13AM (#43116475)
Same for dairy cattle: males are redundant. My grandfather was an AI pioneer in the UK in the 1940s. AI being artificial insemination of dairy cattle....
Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by lotsofpulp on Thursday February 20, 2025 @11:42AM (#43116881)
I mean, dairy cattle also have the issue of keeping the female pregnant and then taking the baby anyway. And then, once they are done producing milk, what do you do with a giant animal?

Same with chickens that lose the ability to produce eggs.

Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by veidr on Thursday February 20, 2025 @11:09AM (#43116413)
The "severe conflict and stress" part may be hard to understand for the cityfolk; you have to kill chickens to eat eggs, or else they will do it.
Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by thijson on Thursday February 20, 2025 @01:05PM (#43118046)
We put the redundant roosters in the woods, let nature do the killing for us. They didn't last one night.
Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by sethammons on Thursday February 20, 2025 @01:52PM (#43118563)
Getting eaten alive makes you feel better than euthanizing them quickly?
Re:Egg Prices Are Soaring. Are Backyard Chickens the Answer? by 0x457 on Thursday February 20, 2025 @03:17PM (#43119608)
Well, at least a wild animal had something to eat?

I'd say main benefit is not doing it youself.