Veganism is a movement involving environment, health and morals and the core of this movement, the core of veganism - is to avoid the exploitation of animals and speciesism.
I know how natural it feels to feel that there's nothing wrong with keeping chickens to breed and use their waste and eggs, but that's a societal belief that's built so deep into all of us, that we don't even question it. It's not easy changing beliefs, even when the facts present themselves as you already know since becoming vegan, people will do a lot to defend whatever it is they're doing if it means they have to change, whether it's damaging or not. Like I said, being vegan, you'll know about this with meat eaters. Which is a natural response, we're built to preserve as much energy as as possible with the least amount of effort. So we resist new information because new information often leads to change.
But we are an intelligent species, and as the intelligent species on this planet we'll need to learn better and know better.
Being an intelligent species, in comparison to the rest anyway, we think we own this planet and the animals on it, but we really, really don't.
The planet will far outlive us and is the thing that gave us life in the first place, and we are animals just the same.
True veganism is about not exploiting animals for personal gain where practicable and possible, some speciesism will take a while to clean out of this society, but there is a lot we can do as individuals today.
There is an endless amount of vegan options for getting fertile land, it just takes looking. As I said, this does take efforting to an extent so it's not what people want to hear, but the question I always ask myself is what's more important; my ego or the truth? And seen as the truth is the only thing that really exists so the only thing that can last, and egos always get us into trouble lol, my answer is always the same.
I'm all for rescuing institutionalised animals who can no longer survive in the wild, but unquestionably taking what isn't ours from defenseless animals because we deem their intelligence inferior, is killing us, and our planet with this consistent and unceasing mindset that we somehow own them.
As hard as the was to write and as equally hard as it is, I'm sure, to read, its the truth - and I hope that answers your question.
There's always alternatives, whether discovered or not all it takes it looking - seek and you shall find. And the only way to be consistent and effective is to live by principle, especially if the opposing principle is our egotistical ownership of animals.