We all feel the pain with each beep as the cashier scans our food items. People who buy eggs are cringing especially hard right now. As prices continue to climb—up 60% from last year—some even resort to smuggling them into the U.S. from Mexico. Experts attribute the high cost of eggs primarily to the deadly avian flu (H5N1), which has an almost 100% fatality rate in chickens. Factory farm workers have slaughtered millions of chickens in an attempt to contain the disease, so there are fewer eggs to take.
Before more of our cash flies the coop—and to prevent more animals from suffering—let’s ditch eggs forever.
People who spend time with chickens know that they’re interesting, intelligent dinosaur descendants. Recent research published in Nature shows that chicks like to play with toys and friends. And leading animal behavior scientists say that chickens are inquisitive animals whose cognitive abilities are comparable to those of cats, dogs and even some primates. Chickens love their families and value their lives, just as we do. But the crowded, filthy conditions on today’s farms cause immense suffering and are the perfect breeding grounds for deadly diseases like the avian flu.
