Animal Breeders

What the job really is

Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.

At a glance

• Sector: Farming, Fishing & Forestry
• O*NET-SOC code: 45-2021
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
• Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
• Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
• Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
• Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
• Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
• Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
• Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
• Brand, tattoo, or tag animals to allow animal identification.
• Arrange for sale of animals and eggs to hospitals, research centers, pet shops, and food processing plants.
• Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases.
• Bathe and groom animals.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
• Animal Caretakers
• Animal Trainers
• Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
• Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
• Agricultural Technicians

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Animal Breeders — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.