I think chickens and cats are pretty close. Because I do not have to build a separate house for the cats and they bury their own feces, my cats are easier to care for than my chickens. I was going to give points to the chickens for the eggs I enjoy, but if I enjoyed small rodents, this might...
I would say it depends a lot on the personality of your dog, cat or flock. I have an indoor high maintenance cat, a low maintenance outdoor cat, a high maintenance barred rock chicken and two low maintenance Cochins. I will admit that I enable the high maintenance behavior a bit. :)