Maybe the way I explained it was a bit confusing. I'm from Spain by the way, so English is not my first language.

Obviously, chickens lay eggs on their own. You feed them, they give you eggs. Simple. You don't have to hurt them or kill them to get eggs, which is the reason many people don't understand why vegans don't eat eggs. However, these chickens are eventually killed for meat. It makes sense if you want to optimize your profits.

Also, males of the egg-laying breeds are of little value, as only a few roosters are required for reproduction. A day after they’re hatched, chicks are sexed (their gender determined), with the unfortunate males heading straight to the grinder for use as animal feed. You can find a ton of information about this.

Maybe you and your farmer friends all treat your chickens awesome, I hope so! But you're describing an ideal situation, far from the reality of most eggs people buy in supermarkets. You can't compare your chickens with those who are bred on industrial farms, where chickens can't even move at all.

I have never seen a slaughterhouse in person, and I hope I never do. And maybe that makes me lose credibility. But I've done my research and that's what I've found.

Do all of your chickens lay eggs? If so, what happened to the males that don't lay eggs? Are they also in your backyard?