Why don't vegans drink milk or eat eggs?!


Question: I don't understand this because my friend lives on a farm and has cows and chickens. She told me that if cows are not milked they will die. Why don't vegans drink milk if it is in no way harming the cow? I also don't understand what the point of not eating unfertilized eggs is. What else would happen to the eggs if people didn't eat them? Other animals would probably eat them, but that's the same as people eating them, because people are animals. Another thing I would like to point out is the fact that animals do indeed eat other animals, so why is it considered wrong for people to eat animals? Please no rude remarks because I am in no way meaning to insult anyone. I'm just confused.


Answers: I don't understand this because my friend lives on a farm and has cows and chickens. She told me that if cows are not milked they will die. Why don't vegans drink milk if it is in no way harming the cow? I also don't understand what the point of not eating unfertilized eggs is. What else would happen to the eggs if people didn't eat them? Other animals would probably eat them, but that's the same as people eating them, because people are animals. Another thing I would like to point out is the fact that animals do indeed eat other animals, so why is it considered wrong for people to eat animals? Please no rude remarks because I am in no way meaning to insult anyone. I'm just confused.

Good lord the ignorance runs rampant here, doesn't it?

Cows will not die if they aren't milked. Cows do not naturally produce milk all the time. They produce milk only after they've had a baby, just like humans. It is breast milk for their calf. Dairy cows are artificially inseminated. They have the baby and the baby is taken away. If the baby is male, it goes to a veal crate. If the baby is female it's recycled back into the dairy or beef production. The cow is pumped full of hormones to artificially increase milk production. Machines milk the cow for as long as they can until she naturally starts to reduce her milk supply. Then she is artifically inseminated again and it starts all over. When she starts to lose profitability she is sent to the slaughterhouse to become food.

Eggs (unless specified) are unfertilized. Chickens in battery cages can't open their wings or stretch their legs. They're stacked in cages & each one has a space smaller than a sheet of paper. They have their beaks and toes cut so they don't peck or scratch the others to death. You can't make money from them if they're dead. A chicken lays one egg every 26-28 hours naturally. They are forced into molting and laying more than is natural by artificial light/darkness and starvation.

When chickens do lay fertilized eggs (to create more chickens naturally) the chicks are sexed. If they are female, they go into the laying production. If they are male, they are thrown into piles, smothered or crushed, or are ground up alive. There is no need for male chicks, there is no profit with them.
When chickens start waning on their production, they are sent to the slaughterhouse to be killed & sold as low-grade meat or stock (any kind of meat product where you can't see the bruising.)

That's why.


As far as why is it "wrong" to eat them, it depends on who you ask. I don't necessarily think it's wrong. I don't think it's natural, considering we recoil at the sight of roadkill instead of salivating and running over to sniff it, which is what any biological carnivore or omnivore would naturally do.

Not to mention we don't eat meat raw or we get sick. We aren't designed to eat it. We don't have the nails or teeth to kill other animals and eat them raw, nor do we have the speed to chase them down. We cook the meat and make sure there's nothing left in it that can hurt us before we eat it. No true carnivore/omnivore has to do that. I, personally, don't support the inhumane methods by which they're bred, raised, and treated so I choose not to support it.

I don't think it is wrong for carnivores or omnivores to eat meat. That's their biological way. We are not carnivores nor natural omnivores.

p.s. to the poster who said to ask a vegan if their shoes are leather: No vegan is going to wear leather shoes. You aren't going to be able to "trick" us like that. *rolleyes*

PumpkinKing: Really? I'm not vegan? Gee, good to know. I said I don't necessarily think eating meat is wrong. I also expanded on that thought by saying because it's not natural for *US* to eat it; but that it's perfectly natural for a carnivore/omnivore to eat; and we aren't naturally omnivores/carnivores.

cuz i comes out of an animal duh

Cause it is an animal-made product...

Glad i could help :)

I honestly don't understand the whole vegan sense. They won't eat anything that comes from an animal, period, whether the animal was killed or not.

Vegans don't consume or use any animal products, and that means anything that is produced through the use of animals whether or not the animal is killed.

it comes from the animal

A vegetarian might eat eggs and drink milk because no animal dies from it, but a vegan doesn't consume anything produced by an animal. It's a philosophical choice...

It's because eggs can turn into chicks, and also because it comes from an animal. As for milk, i guess it's because it comes from an animal.

They are by-products from animals, which they won't eat. Most vegans also don't eat honey.

Animal product !

because its animal products

they don't eat that stuff because it comes from animals.

Vegans must watch out for foods which contain animal substances. Below is a list of things vegans should look out for:

albumen/albumin: egg white. Use/s: food binder
alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs): naturally occurring chemicals derived from fruit or milk. Use/s: cosmetics
ambergris: morbid concretion obtained from the intestine of the sperm whale. Use/s: perfumes
amniotic fluid: fluid surrounding the foetus within the placenta. Use/s: cosmetics
anchovy: small fish of the herring family. Often an ingredient of Worcester sauce and pizza toppings. Use/s: flavor enhancer
angora: fiber obtained from rabbits or goats. Use/s: clothing
aspic: jelly derived from meat and fish. Use/s: glazing agent
astrakhan: skin of still born or very young lambs from a breed originating in Astrakhan, Russia. Use/s: clothing
bristle: stiff animal hair, usually from pigs. Use/s: brushes
casein: Ammonium Caseinate. Calcium Caseinate. Potassium Caseinate. Sodium Caseinate. The principle protein of cow's milk. Use/s: texturizer for ice cream, frozen custard, ice milk, fruit sherbets, and in special diet preparations.
cashmere: fine wool from the cashmere goat and wild goat of Tibet. Use/s: clothing
castoreum: obtained from the sex gland of the . Use/s: fixative in perfumes
catgut: dried and twisted intestines of the sheep or horse. Use/s: stringed musical instruments, surgical stitching
caviar: roe of the sturgeon and other fish. Use/s: a relish
chitin: organic base of the hard parts of insects and crustacea eg shrimps, crabs. Use/s: conditioners and skin care products, thickener and moisturiser in shampoos
chamois: soft leather from the skin of the chamois antelope, sheep, goats, deer, etc. Use/s: cleaning cloth
cochineal (E120): dye-stuff consisting of the dried bodies of scale insects. Use/s: red food and drink colouring
cod liver oil: oil extracted from the liver of cod and related fish. Use/s: food supplement
D3 (cholecalciferol): vitamin derived from lanolin or fish oil. Use/s: vitamin and food supplements
down: underplummage of fowls (especially duck and goose). Use/s: filling quilts, pillows, sleeping bags, padded clothing
eider down: small, soft feathers from the breast of the eider duck. Use/s: filling quilts
elastin: protein uniting muscle fibres in meat. Use/s: moisturiser in cosmetics
gelatin: jelly obtained by boiling animal tissues (skin, tendons, ligaments etc) or bones. Use/s: confectionery, biscuits, capsules, jellies, photographic film, match heads
glycerin/glycerol (E422): clear, colourless liquid which may be derived from animal fats, synthesised from propylene or from fermentation of sugars. Use/s: solvent for flavours, texture improver, humectant
hide: animal skin (raw or tanned). Use/s: clothing and footwear, clothing accessories, upholstery
isinglass: very pure form of gelatin obtained from the air bladders of some freshwater fishes, especially the sturgeon. Use/s: clarifying alcoholic drinks, jellies
keratin: protein found in hair, horns, hoofs and feathers. Use/s: shampoos and conditioners, fertilizer
L'cysteine hydrochloride (E920): manufactured from animal hair and chicken feathers, or synthetically from coal tar. Use/s: shampoo, improving agent for white flour
lactose: milk sugar. Use/s: tablet filler, sweetener, 'carrier' for flavouring agents &emdash; especially in crisps
lanolin: fat extracted from sheep's wool. Use/s: cleaning products, an emollient and emulsifer used in cosmetics &emdash; especially lipsticks
lard: fat surrounding the stomach and kidneys of the pig, sheep and cattle. Use/s: culinary
leather: tanned hide (mostly from cattle but also sheep, pigs, goats etc). Use/s: clothing and footwear, clothing accessories, upholstery
lecithin (E322): fatty substance found in nerve tissues, egg yolk, blood and other tissues. Use/s: emulsifier in baked goods and confectionery
lutein(E161(b)): substance of deep yellow colour found in egg yolk. Use/s: food colouring
mohair: cloth or yarn made from the hair of the angora goat. Use/s: clothing
musk: substance secreted in a gland or sac by the male musk deer. Use/s: perfume
oleoic oil: liquid obtained from pressed tallow. Use/s: margarines
oleostearin: solid obtained from pressed tallow. Use/s: soap and candle making
oestrogen: female sex hormone from cow ovaries or pregnant mares' urine. Use/s: cosmetics, body building supplements, hormone creams
pearl ('Mother of', or 'cultured'): concretion of layers of pain-dulling nacre formed around a foreign particle within the shell of various bivalve molluscs, principally the oyster. Use/s: jewelry and decorative
pepsin: enzyme found in gastric juices. Use/s: cheese making
placenta: organ by which the foetus is attached to the umbilical cord. Use/s: cosmetics
progesterone: sex hormone. Use/s: hormone creams
propolis: bee glue. Used by bees to stop up crevices and fix combs to the hive. Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
rennet: extract of calf stomach. Contains the enzyme renin which clots milk. Use/s: cheese making, junkets
roe eggs: obtained from the abdomen of slaughtered female fish. Use/s: a relish
sable: fur from the sable marten, a small carnivorous mammal. Use/s: clothing, artists' brushes
shellac (E904): insect secretion. Use/s: hair spray, lip sealer, polishes, glazing agent
silk: cloth made from the fibre produced by the larvae ('silk worm') of certain bombycine moths, the harvesting of which entails the destruction of the insect. Use/s: clothing, cosmetics
sodium 5'-inosinate: occurs naturally in muscle. Prepared from fish waste. Use/s: flavour enhancer
sperm oil: oil found in the head of various species of whales. Use/s: candle making
spermaceti wax: fatty substance found mainly in the head of the sperm whale, other whales and dolphins. Use/s: medicines, candle making, cosmetics
sponge: aquatic animal or colony of animals of a 'low order', characterised by a tough elastic skeleton of interlaced fibres. Use/s. bathing aid
squalene/squalane: found in the liver of the shark (and rats). Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
stearate: salt of stearic acid Use/s: body building supplements
stearic acid (E570): organic acid prepared from stearin
stearin(e): general name for the three glycerids (monostearin, distearin, tristearin). Formed by the combination of stearic acid and glycerin; chiefly applied to tristearin, which is the main constituent of tallow or suet. Use/s: medicines, skin softener in toiletries and cosmetics
suede: kid-, pig- or calf-skin, tanned. Use/s: clothing and footwear
suet: solid fat prepared from the kidneys of cattle and sheep. Use/s: cooking
tallow: hard animal fat, especially that obtained from the parts about the kidneys of ruminating animals. Use/s: soap and candle making
testosterone: male hormone. Use/s: body building supplements
urea: waste nitrogen formed in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. Use/s: toiletries and cosmetics
vellum: fine parchment prepared from the skins of calves, lambs or kids. Use/s: writing material
vitamin A (retinol): derived from fish liver oil or egg yolk. Use/s: cosmetics, food supplement
volaise: ostrich meat
whey: residue from milk after the removal of the casein and most of the fat. By-product of cheese making. Use/s: margarines, biscuits, crisps, cleaning products
wool: hair forming the fleecy coat of the domesticated sheep (and similar animals). Use/s: clothing

Vegans just try to stay away from any food thats animal related; whether its actually an animal or came out of animal, they don't want anything to do with it. I personally respect the decision they have made and look up to them a great deal. Giving up all animal related substances is so hard to factor into your life. It's a huge life altering experience.

Really don't know! Maybe they just don't want to put the cow thru the stress of milking or something... but if they're gonna die if they don't get milked then surely they'd be helping the cow more to drink the milk... or maybe they didn't know the cow would die...hmmm!

Vegans tend to not eat animal by-products because of the method used to get them. It's true that cows will die unmilked, but I believe that they're protesting against the inhumane methods. Chickens are fed antibiotics, crammed into little wire cages, dirty, neglected, and then when they are not able to produce anymore eggs, they are killed without any anesthetics. Cows are the same case minus the egg and plus the milk.

they don't think that we should take advantage of animals that way. we shouldn't keep them for our own selfish purposes also, cows will not die if they're not milked.

for some, it has a lot to do with religion and different beliefs...eggs and milk still come from animals so vegans are against it!!! I think its a matter of opinion and belief:)

I agree with you,
but the reason is because they dont want to eat anything that comes out of an animal period. whether it harms the animal or not. They just dont want to eat it. Thats all. Hard to grasp, i know, but thats about the best answer there is..

Vegans, for whatever reason, do not believe in eating any product from an animal.

They would argue that if not for humans monkeying around with cow's hormones and breeding, then they would not constantly produce milk and require constant milking...

If you know any true vegans, ask them what their shoes are made of. If they say leather, they're hypocrites, and if they say man-made materials, they're doing more damage to the environment by rewarding the "evil" oil industry from which the polyesters and plastics are generated.

Because vegans and vegetarians love animals!
Though I agree with You that it doesn't make sense that they don't drink milk ( but they say that it hurts to cow ) .
They also don't wear clothes that comes from the skin of an animal and many things else.

Vegetarians are all good because the reason why they don't eat meat is because of all the disease and they don't want more animals to be killed , but vegans are all crazy ! to me it doesn't make since!

In response to the first part of your question - there is an entire industry that makes money off of milking cows to an extreme. They are milked a LOT more than they "need" to be. The people are making money off of these animals - and a lot of vegans and vegetarians do not like the breeding of these animals specifically so that they can milk them in as unnatural a way as possible. The animals are not necessarily treated with respect.
And as far as other animals eating other animals, humans are supposed to be the most intelligent animals on the planet. We can farm and plant veggies, fruits, make bread, etc. Wild wolves, lions, etc, do not have the convenience of a kitchen, supermarkets, or agricultural skills that humans have. Because we have learned alternate (and healthy) ways to eat, it is not necessary to pen up animals in very unsatisfactory conditions just so that they can be killed so that we can eat them.

Many vegans are vegans because they prefer to eat vegetables and vegetable based products - not because they have a problem with other people consuming animal products.

Some people don't drink milk because they're lactose intolerant. Some people just don't like milk or eggs.

It isn't wrong hon, some people take issue with the ways animals are treated, the hormones they're given, and the way they're farmed.. (kinda like .. the way vegetables are farmed!) Some people have to have a cause.

Some people use leather, fur, lanolin, wool and other animal by-products as well.. like gelatin, glue and dyes. Feathers and other animal bits are decorative.

To each their own.

It's not one family cow on a family ranch

It's an industry of thousands of cows breed for milking

1. they are born
2. they graze
3. the give birth
4. the calves they give birth to are NOT milked by the mother and sent to become more milking cows or slaughter
5. they milk DAILY it's not a pleasent thing to be hooked up to extractors
6. they are slaughterd

is this a good life?

eating an egg is like being pro choice in terms of abortion...the egg is a chicken ebryo

vegans don't care about the animal as much as they care about the exploitation of the animal by industry

industry is the true enemy

peace + love

I truly believe that their reasons are absolutely and unequivocally bizarre with regard to milk and eggs. It makes absolutely no sense outside of the context of "GENUINE" and "REAL" vegans that I've come across in other cultures. For the GENUINE and REAL vegans it is part of a spiritual path . . . and that makes "sense". I can respect that ... faith based choices are different than "logic" or intellectual based reasons.

But you have these airheads on here trying to justifying their abstinence of dairy on the basis of "animal exploitation" is absolutely asinine. It truly is. They are absolute FOOLS to anyone with an ounce of sense or critical thought.

I don't know about the "if cows are not milked they will die" thing, but I know that almost all dairy farms mechanically milk the cows and artificially impregnate them, then take away their babies. And when they become too old to produce milk, they're sent to slaughterhouses.

And as for eggs, they may not be chicks, but the chickens are kept in extremely cruel conditions.

IDK, for more information, check out these websites:
http://www.milksucks.com
http://www.eggindustry.com

Their organic brain disease disrupts normal thinking.

They don't eat eggs or drink milk because they don't wish to use any animal products and those 2 fit within the criteria of convenience.

Jess---"As far as why is it "wrong" for us to eat them, it depends on who you ask. I don't necessarily think it's wrong."---if you don't think it's wrong than you aren't a vegan.

well the only reason cows need to be milked by people is because their babies, who are the ones who should be drinking the milk, are taken away from them way too early in life. so if we just left them alone instead of impregnating them continuously and stealing their babies then they wouldnt need us. and it is harming the cow, they often suffer from infections of the udders and are usually kept in horrible conditions and treated like money machines rather than sentient beings. do you not think it doesnt bother a mother cow who just gave birth to have her baby ripped from her? and i dont eat eggs because of the conditions under which the hens are kept. they are only given a cage the size of a piece of computer paper, if that to live in for their entire lives. they are stacked and crowed in ammonia filled barns that give them respiratory problems. and cartons with the "free range" sticker on them arent regulated by any government body so any farm can put that sticker on whether or not their hens are kept in cages. even if the hens really are "free range" this usually refers to the hens being crowed onto a dirty barn floor where, again, they dont have enough space to move around. some wild animals do indeed eat other wild animals because they must to survive. we do not need them to survive. also other animals do not factory farm their prey. they are in the wild where they each have a fair shot at survival and normal living conditions. they also catch their food themsevles and eat it raw. it is very possible that you will get sick and even die if you eat raw meat, so obviously its not "natural". if you reall want to compare it other wild animals then if you cant catch it with your bare hands and eat it raw, then how would be natural. i have nothing to gain by saying all this, im not getting any money or anything, so when people tell you this is all BS then you should ask yourself why they are saying that? obviously someone in the milk industry will say different because there is profit to be had

Many vegans believe that animals are MORE important than people. They believe it in someway harms the animals. They are the ones that are confused, not you.

I don't understand either.
Do vegans believe in breast feeding? Is that against their thinking, as well?





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