Which are Better Pets? Dogs versus Chickens

Dogs are the most popular pet in America and Europe.  But do they deserve that status?  Let's do a side-by-side comparison of dogs and chickens to find out which make better pets:

Daily Feeding

• Chickens:  Fill the feeder as needed; generally, just a few times per week.
• Dogs: Feed every day, two times each day.  Supplement with table scraps when begging occurs.
• Winner -- Chickens.

Daily Upkeep

• Chickens:  Let them out of the coop in the morning.  Close the coop at night.
• Dogs:  Put on your coat and go out in the pouring rain or snow to walk your dog.  Do this two or three times each day for a minimum of 20 minutes each time.  When you get home, use a towel to wipe off your dogs feet or suffer with muddy paw prints on your floors.  In urban and suburban locations, you need to clean up after your pooch, so talk along your pooper scooper and dog bags.  Having fun yet?
• Winner -- Chickens

Household Inconveniences

• Chickens: None.  They live in a coop outside, so you have your home to yourself.  Clean the coop once per week -- takes about 20 minutes.
• Dogs:  Dogs generally live with you, so dog hair gathers on your floors and your furniture as well, because dogs sleep on the couch whenever they can get away with it.  And of course, there are those little accidents on the floor now and again which you'll need to clean up.  Get out those paper towels.
• Winner -- Chickens

Cute & Cuddly

• Chickens:  Tame enough to hold, but not exactly what I'd call cuddly.
• Dogs:  Definitely cute and cuddly.  And then there are those sad brown eyes looking at you.
• Winner -- Dogs

Eggs

• Chickens:  Each girl gives you a wonderfully fresh egg that you couldn't buy at the grocery store for love or money.  You get one egg per day from each bird.
• Dogs:  If you've collected any eggs from your dog, post a comment because we'd all like to know about it.
• Winner -- Chickens

Play Fetch

• Chickens:  Generally, not very capable retrievers.  Practice not likely to improve performance.
• Dogs:  Dogs love to fetch sticks, balls, Frisbees, you name it, a dog will retrieve it.
• Winner -- Dogs

Eat Backyard Pests

• Chickens:  Love to eat slugs, bugs, and other creepy crawley critters.
• Dogs:  Don't kid yourself, dogs eat anything.  I once saw my dog eat a spider.
• Winner -- Tie between Dogs and Chickens

Provide A Source of Meat

• Chickens:  You can eat 'em if you want to.
• Dogs:  Not unless you live in a very poor country or you have a sick mind.
• Winner -- Chickens

Welcome You

• Chickens:  Come running to the door of the pen when they see you because they are hoping for treats (chicken scratch)
• Dogs:  Come running to the door of the house when they see you because they are hoping for treats (Milk Bones, Liva Snaps etc.)
• Winner -- Tie between Dogs and Chickens

And the Winner Is....

Well with all the categories tallied chickens prove to be far superior pets.  

Ok, it's a tongue in cheek comparison, but here's the real point.... Chickens are actually much easier to take care of than you might think.

The hardest thing you need to do is to build a coop and you really don't even need to do that.  You can buy a coop locally or through the internet.  There are even manufacturers making coops with high style modern designs to fit into urban environments. Check out theEglu Cube and other coop models from this manufacturer in the UK.

Cast Your Votes - Reader Poll

So what do you think? Are dogs or chickens better pets? Answer this one question survey and we'll post the results next week.