This past week was my first week of classes for the semester, and with that comes the mass amount of work I already have to do. But, that can also have a positive side, since I love all of the classes I am taking this semester so far (fingers crossed).

As I was doing an assignment for my Environmental Economics class, I read a few different articles on different egg-cage systems, ranging from battery cages to cage-free systems. Before reading these articles, I had my own (very positive) opinions on cage-free eggs. I thought that they were the perfect alternative to the typical battery cage systems, and would try to convince my parents to buy them whenever I was home on break.

These articles I read for class, however, opened my mind to new truths about different cage systems. Each article had its own opinion on cage-free and free-range egg systems, most stating that cage-free egg systems are not what they seem. One article states how cage-free systems have similar practices to battery cages, including burning off the chickens’ beaks, among other things. Another general point in an article was that although the chickens are “cage free,” the chickens are still crowded in on top of each other. Regardless of the article I read for class, each one pointed out that the systems typically deemed as more “humane,” are not in fact that much more beneficial to chickens.

Reading this for my homework was a bit of a shock to me, overall. I always thought that buying cage-free eggs was always something that I could do that could really try and help prevent animal cruelty. I guess I romanticized the idea of cage-free systems a bit in my head, too, so I am partially to blame for it. But, I think it is also the marketing of these cage-free eggs that led me to this conclusion. Regardless, I had this image in my mind of something that was just completely torn down. It made me open my eyes to what I thought I knew, even on a greater level than what I was reading for my Environmental Economics homework. It made me realize the power of education, even during the first week of classes. I learned from my class not only the information from the physical readings I was assigned that I had to turn in for a grade, but also that everything should be questioned. Something that I was so sure of for so long actually turned out to not necessarily be the truth, which had quite the impact on me. It made me appreciate the classes I am currently taking and that I have the chance to learn so many great things here at school.

So, I have the ongoing battle between cage-free egg systems and battery cage systems to thank for such a deep lesson during my first week of classes.