Celebrate World Egg-FREE Day!

12 October 2011 Have your say

Friday October 14 is 'World Egg Day' — or as we like to call it, 'World Egg Free Day'...

Help us put chickens before the egg this year by shining a light on an industry that still confines most of its laying hens to battery cages, and sentences millions of unwanted male chicks to a cruel death every year.

Chickens are remarkably intelligent and social animals with distinct personalities who deserve a life free from cruelty. You can help make that happen by protesting the cruelty of the egg industry by baking a delicious egg-free cake on October 14 (or really — any day!)

Why go egg-free?

Cage egg sales are in decline as more and more caring shoppers realise that battery hens endure lives of misery. With less space per bird than 1 A4 sized piece of paper, hens are forced to stand on wire 24 hours a day and cannot even stretch their wings. Truly free range and organic egg farms afford birds more space and access to the outdoors — which is essential to their wellbeing. However hens in all commercial egg systems are sent to slaughter when their egg production wanes at about 18 months of age (of a natural lifespan of about 10 years).

To replace these 'spent' hens, millions of chicks are hatched yearly, of which only half will grow up to lay eggs. The other half — approximately 12 million economically 'worthless' day-old male chicks — are either gassed to death or ground up alive. This non-graphic video shows what happens to chicks in industrial hatcheries like those throughout Australia.

Easy egg-free baking

Fortunately cooking your favourite dishes without eggs is a cinch — whether you're into mud cakes, pancakes, cupcakes, or even meringue! Here are some of our favourite recipes. Click on the links below to download individual recipe cards, or click here to print them all.

Heavenly Egg-Free Cupcakes

Fat-Free Banana Pancakes

Banana Cake

Banana Date Slice

Fruit Mince Pies

Apple and Almond Tea Cake

Find more egg-free recipes at WhyVeg.com or Chef Chloe

Adapting your favourite recipes

For an all-purpose egg substitute, look out for Orgran's 'No Egg' — found in the health food section of most supermarkets. One packet of 'No Egg' is the equivalent of 66 eggs, and works well in savoury and sweet dishes alike.

For other easy egg substitutes you can try 1 mashed banana or 1/4 cup of apple sauce per egg (good for cakes/muffins), 2 tablespoons of corn flour (works well in savouries), 1/4 cup canola oil or melted vegetable margarine. Need more? Click here for some more handy egg-free tips.

What's your favourite egg-free dish? Post your recipes below for others to try!

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Leisa. Preen: Equal rights for all Sunday, 6 May 2012 at 10:36am

I've just read all your comments - with tears streaming down my face! Thank you all so much for caring for these tortured and sufferinng birds! Yes, of course they deserve equal rights as all living creatures on this planet deserve! I also have special memories with two hens - which were very dear pets at my Grandparents place fossickiig amongst my Grandpa's garden with a choice of juicy grubs etc. They were just so adorable and contrary to what people think, very smart!
We humans have so much to learn from - all these creatures which share this Earth - They live in 'the present' - live peacefully - without any sense of 'need of power or greed' - Whether it be - vivisection - live animal export or whatever. it must STOP and I believe it will - but it will take resilience from us - everyone who really cares! Tell our friends (not earbash) that doesn't help! Show by example - how we eat and live our lives in general. Also of course sign petitions - write letters, demonstrations etc etc We just can't become apathetic or bitter! As soppy as it sounds we must try to 'love all' It's a hard order when we are confronted by so much suffering and insensitivity from humans - BUT our numbers are growing and we can find strength in each other!! Thank you - everyone

Leisa Preen
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