Hi Mamas,
I have been vegan for 15 years now and have decided that since I will soon introduce eggs to my son's diet, that I should eat them too. I am very sensitive to the treatment of the chickens at the big farms. They are often raised on factory farms and never have the chance to do anything that is natural to them. They will never even meet their parents, let alone be raised by them. They will never take dust baths, feel the sun on their backs, breathe fresh air, roost in trees, or build nests. So my question is if anyone has chickens in the Seattle area or knows of someone with chickens who wants to sell their eggs?
You might check the website pickyourown.org. Most of the rural roads in east king county have someone who has chickens and eggs to get rid of
If you believe in being a vegan because of the unethical treatment of the animals, why would you introduce your son to eggs? You really should follow your ethics in this matter.
I have run across a number of vegan families and they never introduced their babies to food they would not themselves eat.
He does not need to eat eggs if you can find other food substitute other protein.
Another solution is to start raising your own eggs. My daughter lived in Seattle near the UW, and her roommate had chickens. She had many adventures, so I guess you would need to be prepared for those.
Skagit River Ranch sells their eggs at the Ballard Farmer's Market. Alternatively, you can visit their farm on Saturday's (it's just north of Sedro Wooley). The one time I went, chickens were roaming pretty freely, including across a small road to eat apples off a small tree next to a road. Very humanely raised.
As a bonus, the visit to the farm would probably be a lot of fun for your son when he is a bit older. Warning, they also sell meat products, all humanely raised.
As I discovered watching a program on sundance-- "cage free" does NOT equal humane, neither does "free range". So, you have every right to be concerned, if that's one of the reasons for you being vegan.
Personally, I would head to one of the weekend farmers markets and speak to a farmer about their eggs. they are very spendy, but the flavor and texture is SO much more "real" than store bought.
CSAs are also a good resource.
Our neighbors have 3 chickens and give us eggs on occasion. They are the tastiest eggs I have ever eaten! It must be because they are only a few hours fresh when we eat them... YUM!
L.,
I see these commercials on TV all the time: Eggland's Best. They have cage-free and organic eggs that you can buy in the grocery store.
Melissa
I think you have a few options:
- if you trust the assurances of the producer, call a local producer and ask how their chickens are raised (like Wilcox)
- identify farms on your farmers market and ask how they keep their chickens
- become a member in a CSA for a producer that you trust
- if you have a backyard, in the city of Seattle you can keep up to 3 chickens yourself - it's pretty easy.
Some farms or organic delivery services also deliver eggs. I am sure you could check out the farm they get their eggs from if it is not their own. I know that Klesick Family Farms will deliver eggs along with their organic produce. If you look on their website I believe it says the name of the farm they get their eggs from. I would not be surpised if other delivery services, like Tiny's Organics, also offer eggs.
