Since I've kept hens, it's strange but I've been a lot more "respectful" towards eggs. It's almost like they're a gift from the chicken.
I think it is sad that animals die to feed us (even though I eat meat), but for an animals meat to be wasted is a tragedy.
The point of my original comment was that in the vast majority of cases, the way they are being treated right now - i.e. culled with these various methods - is par for the course for the modern animal products industry.
That said, I hope you give your hens a good home, and if you do I applaud you. Despite trying my best to maintain a vegan diet right now, I would love to one day raise (heritage breed, that lay infrequently) hens in my backyard - assuming I have one, as a city-dweller.
Other than that, they have space outside to roam, and we even have some "freeloaders" - hens that have become too old to lay, but we keep them on anyway.