Official BYC Poll - Are Chickens Easier or Harder To Raise Than....

[CamillaRules]

I have 2 Newfoundlands...High Maintenance, in all ways....1 cat...low maintenance and she's an indoor/outdoor kind of girl and the 9 chickens...very little work either, but I do cater to them. They are so comical. Camilla "argues" with the female Newf and totally intimidates the cat. In other words, the poor cat is afraid of everyone!

 

[roostercruiser]

At my place chickens are more work than any of the other animals. The dog just comes in and out as he pleases and the same with the cat. The chickens take 40 minutes to feed and water in the morning and the same at night. I take 5 hours on Sunday after noon to clean the cages and the floor.

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

They are definately less work (and more enjoyable work) then dogs. My dog was a pain in the...well.... i haven't had to chase a chicken down the road yet begging it to come home and leave the neighbors goats alone.

As for cats, my cats only want to eat and sleep and occasionally give kisses....like during the important times...when you're sleeping. so they are more work for me then cats..but again, i enjoy going out and feeding them, much more then cleaning a litter box.

I do worry about them more then dogs or cats...they seem much more helpless.

 

[TipsyDog]

Quote:
I agree.

I agree too! More work than cats because I scrape the poop board everyday, clean up poop in the run, fresh water, treats, go out to look for eggs a few times a day and then there's locking up the girls for the night, have a light on the timer, etc., etc.. Cats don't need that much attention - they just ignore me

 

[ducks4you]

You build on your dog's training. They are usually NOT self-contained--at least mine aren't. Dogs learn to self-regulate, and remind you if they need food, water, outside, so you don't forget about their needs. YOU have to discipline yourself to take care of your birds, which are livestock even if they are pets, too. So, I think that dogs are easier.
As for cats, our 4 come and go, demand their food and then go outside to hunt. They are the easiest of all!

 

[tlcorley]

i think that my chickens are a little more work that our other pets (2 dogs and 1 cat) But in the end they are giving eggs and all so we should have to work at it a little more right.

 

[muddstopper]

My cat and dogs stay outside the house and we have running water in the branch. All I have to do is put some feed in a bowl outside the door and they are good to go. The chickens are inside tractor coops that have to be moved at least every other day. I have to carry water and feed. So My vote is that chickens are more trouble than cats or dogs.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I have two house cats, so I'll compare chickens to cats in this post.

Chickens require more by way of initial setup than cats do. It may take a month to finish the coop and run, rig lighting, etc., depending on how elaborate of a setup one has and whether one is building a "Fort Knox" coop or not. With cats, you can go to any pet shop, pick out the basic supplies, and be set within an hour.

As far as time spent daily, house cats need attention and time to play with their owners. Chickens require the same amount of time each day for gathering eggs/giving treats/interacting, etc. How much time is devoted depends on your philosophy for raising chickens and/or cats and what your goals are for their socialization/tolerance for humans.

Both cats and chickens need fresh food and water daily. Both may need medical attention depending on what problems they have.

I'd say my two cats are about as much work as a flock of 10 chickens. They are very needy and friendly cats.

 

[kathyinmo]

I say MY chickens are more work than dogs and cats. Maybe that is because I make it more work. I do spend alot of time out in the yard with them. I have to clean and disinfect the waterers everyday, and drag the hose 200 feet. Adding bedding and DE, and stirring it weekly isn't time consuming, but it's a chore. I have to check for eggs about 5 times a day .... oh what a chore that is! LOL

Carrying those bags of feed is no fun!

I say MORE work than dogs and cats.

 

[gypsy2621]

With my set up for the chickens, the run for the dog and rabbitry all connected by interlocking doors, gates and chain link fencing, all are equal in time consumption,
if we dont factor in vettings for the dog.
it takes a few minutes to tend his needs for food water then half an hour or more of play and training.
chickens get the same half hour once over. I only have 20 right now so half hour is sufficient to check for mites, lice injuries etc.

rabbitry entails much more time but the biggest of the time consumers believe it or not would be the Reptiles. b ut seeing they were not included we wont count the wasted time with them.
This is a fun poll actually , to see how others compare and how they manage time is a great idea, thanks for bringing this up for us.