Easter is deeply significant for Christians of all denominations as we honor Christ’s selfless display of love at Calvary and His victory over evil and death. It must surely grieve our compassionate Savior to see us inflict harm and death on other members of God’s perfect creation as we celebrate this joyous event with family and friends. This Easter, instead of contributing to the suffering endured by gentle birds in the egg industry, consider celebrating with some of the many options for cruelty-free Easter eggs to demonstrate Christlike mercy.
More than 300 million chickens are used for their eggs each year in the U.S. About 60% spend their lives in wire battery cages that are so small the birds can’t lift their wings. The other 40% are crammed by the thousands into filthy, cramped sheds where disease runs rampant and many animals die. Eggs can be sold as “free-range” even if the birds have only a seldom-open door that leads to a small, dirty pen.
Farms commonly slice the ends of chicks’ beaks off with a burning-hot blade within hours or days of birth—without painkillers. To maximize egg production, farms manipulate the light in the sheds and hens’ calorie intake. About 30% suffer broken bones as a result of osteoporosis, neglect, and abusive handling. Male chicks are considered worthless to the egg industry, so every year, millions of them are suffocated or thrown into high-speed grinders called “macerators.” When allowed to live as God intended, chickens can enjoy 8-15 years of life. On egg farms, they are slaughtered at about age 2, when their bodies are “spent” from being made to produce far more eggs than they should.
God gave chickens personalities just as distinct as those of humans. Some are fearless while others are shy; some form close bonds with human guardians while others favor friendships with birds. All chickens are remarkably intelligent, with cognitive abilities that, in some aspects, surpass those of cats, dogs, and some primates. These brainy birds complete complex mental tasks, learn from watching each other, demonstrate self-control, and worry about the future. They develop complex social structures and have adept communication skills. Mothers begin teaching their babies how to “speak” while they’re still in their shells, clucking softly to them as the chicks respond. Once the babies hatch, hens fiercely defend their young, even fighting beyond their own strength to protect them.
Psalm 148 tells us that animals praise their Creator alongside us, demonstrating that they, too, find joy and hope in the Lord and that they will be with Him in heaven. They share in the living hope described in 1 Peter, Chapter 1 that is ours through Jesus’ resurrection. We don’t have to wait for the restoration of God’s kingdom to treat these “least among my brothers and sisters” with kindness.
There are countless ways to maintain fun family Easter traditions without harming hens and chicks. Faced with skyrocketing egg prices, many celebrants are choosing to paint and hide potatoes, which can even be used for silly games like hot potato. Other parents are helping children color eggs made of ceramic, wood, or cardboard which are inexpensive at craft stores, online retailers, and dollar stores. Standard plastic eggs can be decorated with paint, colored glue, markers, ribbons, stickers, or beads.
Or think outside the carton. Decorate Easter cookies or apples with different colors of frosting and sprinkles, get in on the rock-painting and hiding craze, turn construction paper eggs into homemade cards for family and friends, jazz up some carrots for the Easter Bunny’s arrival, or paint golf balls and use them for backyard mini-golf.
Whatever you choose, please honor this most sacred of days by showing Christlike love to others, as He instructed us to do.
