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

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Same here. My alpacas are even easier than the dogs,cat and chickens.

 

[chick4chix]

My chickens are way less work than my dog- but I have a standard poodle that I groom myself so that takes hours to do a groom and can be expensive for those who pay someone else to do it (upwards of $100) I love my dog, and he's a great companion but the chickens are hilarious to watch and (as you have all said before) make my breakfast. They love the dog and he loves them- so they all get along

 

[sonew123]

I say more work than my dogs and cats because I am constantly cleaning pens and coops by choice-Im sure I dont have to do it nearly as much as I do but-my 10 month puppy is useless and he creates alot of work with the chewing/peeing n pooing still when hes not crated while at work. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats-I spend 10x more time with my chickens and love it. but I have 45+ chickens so yes that is alot of work

 

[M To The Maxx]

More work than dogs.

 

[Goldlaced_Girl]

cats- Waaaaayyy easier! just throw 'em some cat food and kick 'em outside during the day!
Dogs- about the same. Of course, I've just got two farm dogs, veeery low maintinence

(i think I spelled that wrong the spelling thing on my computer's auto-fix is all glitched up

)

 

[Paganbird]

I think my (40+) chickens are less work than my single (indoor) doberman pincer, but more work than our 2 house cats.
For example...
We had to go out of town (560 miles away) unexpectedly for a funeral. I had to find someone to come and take care of my chickens at least twice a day - collect eggs and close the windows at night. I had to take the dog to a kennel (lots of $$ and hard to find a week's opening last minute) because she needs to go out to do her business every few hours, play, and be fed twice daily. The cats... well, we just filled the auto-waterers, dumped a bunch of cat food in an open bin and left 2 freshly-cleaned litter boxes.
The cats were fine all week by themselves. No messes. No destruction.
The dog had refused to eat and only cried for the first 3 days. Then she was afraid of the kennel workers. I had to have my mother pick her up early because after 6 days, she wasn't getting up off her bed and refused to eat again. Oh, yeah, and it cost a LOT!
The neighbor kid came over to feed/water the chickens and collect eggs. He also watered the horses. I don't think he came over as often as arranged, but the chickens did ok. I didn't get many eggs... I think they were getting broken in the nests from being left in there too long. It was waaaaay cheaper than the dog.
The best animal in this scenario was the horses. They (2 mares) are pastured on about 20 acres. All they need is fresh water about twice weekly.
I think the cats come in 2nd... they didn't need any human intervention at all for a week.
Then the chickens... minimal attention by a teenage boy and they all survived.
Last is the dog. She can barely last a whole work shift without needing to go out to relieve herself... dogs need the most attention at our house.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Chickens are way less work than a dog. We walked the dog 2-3 times a day, everyday and had to kennel her when we went away. When she got old, she also need daily meds. The cats may be slightly easier than the chickens (3 indoor cats/10 chickens), simply because they can be fed and left for a weekend. The chickens require a twice daily visit to be let out/shut in. Finding a pet sitter is harder for chickens than for the three cats.....

I also wanted to add a couple of thoughts. My cats don't go to the vet...indoor, and I don't vaccinate due to a cat with a vaccination caused tumor. This means the cats are cheap for medical bills. They are young, and all neutered. The dog also required monthly flea meds, and shots. I have treated my chickies for mites and lice...total cost about $25, and I still have plenty left for further treatment.

On the flip side, the chickens are far, far cheaper than the cats. The cats' food costs about 3-4 times as much as the chicken feed, and they need the litter replaced (expensive) more than the chickens need their cheap sand replaced. The chickens also leave me better presents than the cats do.

 

[Laurieks]

cats- Waaaaayyy easier! just throw 'em some cat food and kick 'em outside during the day!
Dogs- about the same.

Ditto! Except we have one dog, and our cats are always outside. Of course today the goats took more time than anyone... new milker's sons just got sold & she's hard to milk (picture drinking a gallon thru a coffee stirrer) so I had to unearth the oooold

milking machine.

 

[GardeNerd]

MY chickens are way more work than my dog or cat!

I think living on a small city lot close to neighbors and keeping them in as part of my garden have an effect on the amount of work involved for me. If I lived on big country farm I am sure it would be different.

 

[tdgill]

I think I work harder with my chickens, but only because I WANT to! The chickens are more peaceful to be around than my dogs, who are needy emotional leeches and are jealous of each other and compete for my attention.

I've finally come to the place where I understand and agree that they are "easier" than dogs.