Example Career: First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers

Career Description

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of animal husbandry or animal care workers.

What Job Titles First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers Might Have

• Animal Care Supervisor
• Cattle Manager
• Farm Manager
• Sow Farm Manager

What First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers Do

• Observe animals for signs of illness, injury, or unusual behavior, notifying veterinarians or managers as warranted.
• Monitor animal care, maintenance, breeding, or packing and transfer activities to ensure work is done correctly.
• Train workers in animal care procedures, maintenance duties, and safety precautions.
• Treat animal illnesses or injuries, following experience or instructions of veterinarians.
• Assign tasks such as feeding and treatment of animals, and cleaning and maintenance of animal quarters.
• Perform the same animal care duties as subordinates.
• Prepare reports concerning facility activities, employees' time records, and animal treatment.
• Confer with managers to determine production requirements, conditions of equipment and supplies, and work schedules.
• Study feed, weight, health, genetic, or milk production records to determine feed formulas and rations and breeding schedules.
• Direct and assist workers in maintenance and repair of facilities.
• Inspect buildings, fences, fields or ranges, supplies, and equipment to determine work to be performed.
• Establish work schedules and procedures.
• Transport or arrange for transport of animals, equipment, food, animal feed, and other supplies to and from work sites.
• Plan budgets and arrange for purchase of animals, feed, or supplies.
• Operate euthanasia equipment to destroy animals.
• Recruit, hire, and pay workers.
• Inseminate livestock artificially to produce desired offspring.
• Investigate complaints of animal neglect or cruelty, and follow up on complaints appearing to require prosecution.

What First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers Should Be Good At

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers Should Be Interested In

• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers Need to Learn

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.