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.
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.