Official BYC POLL: Chicken Keeping - Easier, same or harder than dogs/cats?

[PirateGirl]

I have all of the above, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 5 chickens.

The chickens were the hardest to set up, but now that they are established, the easiest to care for. This may in part be due to my lack of experience with chickens. We also opted to build our own coop and run instead of a pre-fab setup. The food and water routine for all is the same, twice a day, however I can set up the chickens and cats to be ok without a sitter for a long weekend. Morning I let the chickens out, fill the feeder, fill the water with fresh (or unfrozen) water. Evening if they are out of food I throw them some scratch grains. If the water is really dirty or frozen or spilled I refill it, sometimes no attention is needed at this time for either, but I do like to check in on them, I will grab any eggs at this point too. That's it. When I send the dogs out before bed for one last time I lock the coop up if the chickens have put themselves to bed. I don't even always lock the coop, mostly in bad weather.

The one cat is indoor only, the other goes in and out. I fill the food and water in the mornings like the chickens, and check it and refill if necessary in the evening. They want more attention. The chickens don't care if I ever give attention. Litter box cleaning and house cleaning required. Checking on them to keep them out of mischief is required. My cats can be naughty. One is not friendly. I worry about the one that goes out when it gets dark or cold or the coyotes are about. The cats wake us at 4:30am religiously. They need to be checked on often. They want attention.

The dogs are the most work. They get fed and watered twice a day also. I do all the animals at the same time twice a day. It's my routine. House cleaning and yard cleaning required. I go on poop patrol weekly and scoop the dog poop, clean the litter boxes, clean the coop as needed. The difference with the dogs is they want attention. Not just sometimes but 100% of the time I am home. They don't want to be home. They want to go on hikes and camping and swimming and in the field and hunting and then when they are tired they want their ears scratched and their bellies rubbed. They need to be cleaned. They have higher vet bills. Did I mention they want attention? And I have had many dogs over the years, they are all work in different ways, but if you don't get one that is a perfect fit, then it's more work, more training, more attention needed.

A sick or injured animal is a sick or injured animal and requires extra attention, regardless of species.

 

[shawthorne44]

I'd say about the same as a dog, but we've got both set up to be pretty automated. For the dog, we have a doggie door, and she's good about going away from the house within our large fenced back yard to poop. So, really, she just needs food dumped once a day and some loving. For water, she insists on toilet water no matter how tempting we try to make her water bowl. She is an elderly low energy dog, so no walks. Her original home fed her irregularly, so she never eats all the food available, so we could put extra food out, and she'd be fine. Her main need is loving.

With the chickens, we have a water fountain, so no water needs. For food, the feeder is a 5 gallon bucket with PVC nipples on it. So, for at least a week food is good. But the coop/run is small for the # of chickens we have (although other chicken owners say it is fine). So, I'd like an automated chicken door from the run into the chicken yard. We are cheap so we'd build one ourselves.

 

[SillySilkie]

I would say both have advantages and disadvantages. It is hard to decide. Chickens are pretty easy to take care of but require space and money for a nice coop and such.

 

[featherfella]

I personally can say that chickens are easier to to care for than dogs. This is mainly due to the fact that dogs and cats can have rather large vet bills where as chickens don't. Chickens are also just generally easier to maintain than dogs.

 

[Nardo]

This is an easy question but, to my surprise, not an easy answer.
As someone mentioned, nothing is trying to dig in or fly down to eat my dogs. But then again, no one has to be there to let my chickens out to poop (they are quite adept at that ).
As far as cats, my wife handles the litter boxes so I am probably biased in thinking that they are easier. We have one barn cat and he is pretty demanding for petting...
I think it's just that dogs show more emotion so it seems easier with them. I think.

 

[Bluechick2u]

I voted harder thank keeping cats or dogs, my cats can be left at home for a couple of days with plenty of food and water with no ill effects. They poop in the box only, I dont have to rake up poo. And a dog you can take with you, or place in a kennel while you vacation. If I left my chickens more than 1 day, I guarantee something would go wrong, and after a couple of days one or more of them would be dead. Predator proofing is another reason for my vote.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

So many variables for so many different types of keepers and their different expectations. Chickens do require some work, but yes can be left for a few days. I find I can bring my dog with me on RV trips but the chickens require a volunteer pop door opener and closer morning and night. That's a pain. Found out our neighbor has chickens and we now swap vacation requests for pop door openings/closings. She is equally pleased to have found me as me finding her. Vacations are the bugger. Dog often goes with Gma and Gpa if its a winter palm tree vacation.

Day to Day stuff I'm set up well for my little ministrations to both dogs and chickens. The coop is a morning walk down the hill. But it gets me outside and in the elements and seeing things around my yard that need tending to...always. The chickens are good for me. I have drooled over the auto-doors and thought on a below zero morning...."Wouldn't that be nice?" But ultimately I know its all good for me. Gets me moving.

Coop cleaning. Dust, feathers (now especially), ammonia rich droppings...now that's where it makes chickens harder again. The dog poos in the weeds off our lawn. No muss no fuss.

 

[theoldchick]

For me, chickens are easier to keep than indoor cats or dogs. You don't have to walk chickens, don't have to clean litter boxes every day, they don't attack the pet sitter. If you change your routine, chickens won't seek revenge. Healthy chickens in a good environment complimented with dedicated care are pretty easy to keep up with.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I've always had dogs, cats, and a variety of other animals in my life. I raised canaries years ago and they did all of their own brooding and chick care. We raised a bunch of turkeys when I was real young, but don't recall much about their actual care.

This is the first year I've had chickens. I said harder than dogs or cats, but I think this is only due to the amount of information on the internet available these days -- we didn't have that growing up lol. I'm not actually having any difficulty in caring for them, but rather a bit more worrisome about the things that could happen.

Edited to add:
I have 2 chihuahuas. One is old and a couch potato. He only needs to be let in and out. The other is younger and full of piss and vinegar. She loves to be outside and waiting for the squirrels. They are both very quiet with exceptions of when he wants in and she wants out (squirrels).

I had a cat for the past year even though I had planned to not have anymore cats. It showed up on my property as a kitten last year. Well, she was very sweet and easy to care for, but as a house cat she was very needy for attention. That attention usually came late at night when I was done with everything else. This meant pouncing on me and the dog in the middle of the night. I just rehomed her to my friends father recently.

 

[dogkahuna]

To me, dogs are part of my family and caring for them is not unlike caring for human children. They require a lot of attention and love to thrive. There is no question which species needs more of my time and devotion.

Chickens are not on the same level. I like them and enjoy caring for them but do not develop deep emotional bonds with them.

As many have written, one can set up self-sustaining care-systems for poultry and they definitely benefit from human contact, but 1-2 hours a day suffices. Dogs need more than that.