Official BYC Poll: Are Chickens Easier or Harder To Raise Than Dogs/Cats?

[mjjobbins]

I have 0% problem keeping my birdy buddies off my chair

 

[3KillerBs]

I have 0% problem keeping my birdy buddies off my chair

They don't step on my face when they want to be fed in the morning before I'm up either. (I can sleep through the crowing).

 

[MaeM]

Chickens may require more work at first - when you have to build their coop and do your research (not that you don't have to research to have a dog or a cat but common people can usually help you or advise you because everybody owns a dog or a cat).

But once you have the information, the coop and run, the waterers and the feeders, you pretty much have to do the same things as with a dog or cat: give them food and water, let them in and out, and clean their space (like you'd clean a cat's litter).

I voted "About the same work".

P.S.: I had very bad luck with my current flock and they've been sick and in that sense, they represented more work. My dog never gets sick. But it's just bad luck. I had a previous flock in the past and those chickens NEVER got sick. One of them got Marek's, the rest died of old age, basically.

 

[Grannysfuturefarm]

Overall, I think chickens are less work than dogs or cats.
Getting everything set up: Our dog was the easiest. We kept her in a small area of the house for a few weeks until she learned to ring a bell to let us know when she needed out. After that she had the run of the house. The chickens needed a coop and run built, but that was a one time thing lau ok, not really once you factor in chicken math). I feel like we are constantly cat proofing the entire house for the cat. She can get anywhere and puts everything in her mouth. "What are you doing", "what are you touching" and "stop eating that" are her nicknames.
Frequency of health problems: If you compare individuals, chickens are the easiest, closely followed by the dog and then the cat (see "stop eating that" above)
General Care: Technically, the chickens are the easiest. I only need to feed/ water them and clean up the poop boards in the morning, then I can forget about them the rest of the day. I often do more with them throughout the day, but I don't have to. The dog needs to be fed twice a day and walked/let out several times a day. The cat needs to be fed twice a day and requires constant vigilance to make sure nothing is left out. No crochet projects left on the table for a few minutes, no cardboard Amazon boxes left out (she doesn't play in them, she chews on them ), no hair ties on the counter while getting ready in the morning, no unrinsed dishes left by the sink... It is a struggle for someone who HATES housework It is a good thing we love her

Your cat sounds like my Hippie cat. With him it’s cords. He chews on them. Unplugged, plugged in it doesn’t matter. I swear he has ruined about $1000 in phone cords for our cell phones. And lamp cords and any other cord he can sink his teeth into. Apparently he doesn’t get enough of a jolt to make him never want to chew one again. And Delilah chews plastic bags. Trying to keep the two of them out of trouble is many times harder than anything my crazy chickens get into

 

[PioneerChicks]

Hands down, less work then dogs and way more work than cats.

 

[CrazyCochin]

(My opinion)
Easily more "easy to care for" than dogs or cats, as chickens don't require to be fixed, they don't require half the veterinary attention as dogs or cats do, no routine vaccines, and less feed and housing. (However, these factors, such as housing and feed can vary depending on flock size).

You don't have to worry about potty training, obedience, etc.
(You can train them for fun, but it's not like you have to pay for a professional animal trainer.)

And hey, you can make a profit off their eggs and meat. Can't do that with dogs and cats. (Well, unless you live in one of those foreign countries where people eat dogs and cats.)

 

[RubelliteRose]

Your cat sounds like my Hippie cat. With him it’s cords. He chews on them. Unplugged, plugged in it doesn’t matter. I swear he has ruined about $1000 in phone cords for our cell phones. And lamp cords and any other cord he can sink his teeth into. Apparently he doesn’t get enough of a jolt to make him never want to chew one again. And Delilah chews plastic bags. Trying to keep the two of them out of trouble is many times harder than anything my crazy chickens get into

Oh no! Thank goodness Ella doesn't like the wire covers we put over all our cords. I sympathize over the plastic bags though. Ziplocs and bread bags are Ella's favorites. She also ate through aluminum foil to get to a loaf of banana bread

 

[Weeg]

Good thread! Personally, I have 3 cats and I think my flock of 23 (ducks and chickens) are more work than them. Cats are litter trained, and pretty much take care of themselves beyond that. Chickens require much more cleaning, attention, time, and effort than cats. Esspecaily when it comes to housing! Grab a cat tree of the shelf and pick a room in your house (or barn for outdoor cats) and your done. Add the rest of the cats stuff, instant. Chickens you need a coop, and run. WAY more work than setting up an area for a cat.

Dogs, I have to say are more work. Easy to setup their area, but like mentioned previously, you need to train, socialize, walk, clean up after, bathe (depends on the dog), and buy more stuff for than chickens. Most owners for through at least 8 weeks of training, and thats not necessary for chickens. Of course, setting up the housing, and cleaning is a lot of work, but the housing is initial, so I don't think it is as big a deal when thinking about the big picture.
Chickens can get diseases easier than other pets though. Theres SO many diseases out there that threaten our poultry everyday. Theres diseases for dogs, but you can get more vaccines much easier, and dogs are indoor pets so aren't out and about as often as chickens. Plus, you can choose how much exposure your dogs get. You can do a hardware cloth run thats covered to protect from diseases spread from wild birds, but theres still more risk.
Honestly, I think depending on how many dogs, breed of dogs, experience of dog owner will make a big difference in the ease of dogs vs. chickens. Though in most situations, I think that dogs require more work daily/in the long run.

 

[Weeg]

You don't have to worry about potty training, obedience, etc.

Good post, I agree with you 100%. But, at least cats and dogs can be potty trained.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Good post, I agree with you 100%. But, at least cats and dogs can be potty trained.

Tell that to my smallest dog, ha! She has no problem holding it in... as long as you're watching. Unsupervised, the indoors is her toilet. (To be fair, the shelter/her foster family did note that this was an issue with her.)