Advice for non-traditional pets?

Chickens are pretty easy, and you have the benefits of the eggs. We probably put in 5 mins a day max, and maybe twice a year clean out the coop. One thing is that we only have a coop with room for four chickens, and we probably should have gotten a bigger coop and get more chickens, because it really doesn't any more time to tend to 10 chickens than 4, and you'd get alot more eggs for it.

How about your neighbourhood birds. No vets bills or cleaning, just loads of feeders, a pair of binoculars and a bird id book.

I don't know of any "megalists". You could try asking your local PetSmart/PetCo staff about different pets. It really depends on what you have in mind -- what kind of pet you want, what resources you have available (barns, yard space, cages, what local ordinances are for keeping different animals etc). You can ask local veterinarians what they recommend and treat because undoubtedly you are going to have medical issues/questions come up and you want to know there is help available. Another resource would be your local 4H group. It would be really helpful to have more details in your question.

Your best bet for information is these singular lists that you are finding. I found that the pet store employees are not, in general, a good source of info for anything outside of cats and dogs... (I've spent WAY too much time explaning to them and any customers about ferrets than I care to admit... :-)

If you are looking at livestock, then 4H is a great resource.. if you are looking for ferrets (are they even considered exotic anymore?) or groundhogs, or Sugar Gliders, etc.. your best bet is those lists - they will give you the pros and cons straightforward - they all love the animals they have and would MUCH rather talk you out of the wrong pet, then have you come back in a few months to ask how to give one up...