This is the moment two vegan activists separate chickens from cockerels because they 'don't want the hens to be raped.'

The video was released by the Spanish vegan group Almas Veganas (Vegan Souls), based in Girona in the north-eastern Spanish region of Catalonia.

They published the video on Twitter where it has been viewed 570,000 times.

On their Twitter page, the activists describe themselves as 'anti-speciesist' and 'transfeminist.'

The vegan activists can be seen holding an egg each before they smash them on the ground in front of the hens that laid them because 'they belong to them[the hens]'

Anti-speciesists believe that judging types of animals as different to each other, or humans, is wrong. They also believe that humans favour and treat some species better, like dogs, which we shouldn't do.

Transfeminism is created by and aimed at transgender women and says that the freedom of trans women is coupled with the liberation of all women.

It also says that any individual should be able to express and define themselves in whichever way they choose without fear of retaliation.

In the footage, the two activists can be seen smashing eggs on the ground because 'they belong to the hens.'

The pair from Catalonia then go on to explain that they separated the cockerels from the hens because they 'don't want them to be raped'

The vegans then reveal that 'we separated the cocks because we don't want the hens to get raped.'

In another video, the activists said that they based their decision on 'the notion of consent.'

The vegans add: 'The hens do not want to be mounted and always try to escape. They are sometimes seriously injured by the cocks' claws as well.'

They also say the hens 'are genetically modified to make them lay more eggs' and they want to 'prevent them from reproducing.'

The activists identify as transfeminist, libertarian and anti-speciesist. Social media users commented on the video, which has been viewed 570,000 times, asking 'is this a joke?'

'Either you are vegan or you help to finance animal slavery. Eating animals is fascist,' they added.

According to reports, the vegan group has recently appeared on several Spanish television shows including the popular talk show 'Todo Es Una Mentira' ('Everything Is A Lie') where they believed they were 'ridiculed' by the presenter.

They said afterwards: 'We knew they would make fun of us, but we wanted to use the platform to spread our message anyway.'