Educational Materials, Job guides, Career articles » Careers » Animal Breeders Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary

Animal Breeders Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary

Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago

Job Overview: Breeding animals is a career that involves breeding horses, goats, cattle, swine, sheep, poultry, cats, dogs and pet birds. Breeders of animals usually specialize in one group of animals and must be able to breed these animals based on characteristics, offspring and genealogy. They may require keeping records on pedigree, heats and birth intervals, and supervise or oversee artificial insemination using technical equipments and techniques.

Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: An animal breeder should possess training in vocational school, at least 2 years of on-the-job experience, or a combination of both. He/she might also need an associate degree or bachelor’s degree to get a job at larger companies.

Skills & Abilities: Animal breeders should possess excellent organizational and communication skills to manage, coordinate and supervise others to complete tasks. He/she should have a vast knowledge in animal and plant organisms, including their cells, tissues, interdependencies and their interactions with each other as well as the environment. Breeders should be able to determine the necessary tools and equipments, provide new ideas through research and experimentation and be up-to-date with technology and trends in their field. He/she should also be quick in solving problems using practical solutions and accessible materials.

Duties: The tasks of animal breeders include (but are not limited to) adjusting building temperature controls to ensure safety of animals, confining roosters, examining animals to check for health problems or injuries, examining semen to record motility and density of gametes, incubating eggs to induce hatching, injecting animal semen into female animals, maintaining logs of semen specimen during breeding, observing animals in heat, as well as storing and preparing containers of semen for shipment, storage or freezing.

The main job of animal breeders lies in monitoring animal characteristics to help select animals to be bred and recording specimens of semen to be used. He/she might also be responsible for placing tags on animals to provide identification of animals, arranging sale of eggs or animals, building shelter for animal and performing various maintenance tasks, such as clipping hair, feeding, cleaning shelters and milking cows or goats, among others. These breeders will also be handling the removal of pelts castration, dehorning and killing of animals.

Earnings & Job Outlook: Employment growth of animal breeders in forestry, fishing and farming industries is expected to be at 4.40% through 2016. The average hourly salary published in 2007 is $13.02, with an annual wage of $26,580.

Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.

Latest Articles about: Careers

1: College Mathematics Professors: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
2: Mathematics Teacher: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
3: Medical Assistant: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
4: Mathematicians: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
5: Medical Ethicist: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Word Count: 423 Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 Time: 5:52 AM


Previous - Airline Pilots Job Description: Overview, Education & Training Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary | Next - Anesthesiologist Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary