Animal Husbandry Technician
What the work is
Undertakes technical animal husbandry tasks such as pregnancy testing, artificial insemination, lactation management, and providing nutrition assessment and advice to assist in the breeding, raising and managing of livestock.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assists with breeding and raising livestock
- Monitors livestock to evaluate the effectiveness of feed formulae, and assists with the management of livestock nutrition and feeding programs
- Assists in controlled breeding experiments to develop improved livestock strains
- Artificially inseminates livestock for breeding purposes, conducts pregnancy tests, manages lactation, and cares for young animals
- Provides advice on breeding selection and techniques
- Monitors and maintains the health and welfare of livestock
- Collects and collates data for research and animal husbandry purposes
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a biosecurity inspection shed at a fictional regional airport and a nearby farming district. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- You stop a pest at the border before it reaches a single farm
- A farmer rings to say your advice saved a season's crop
- A lab result comes back and confirms your hunch from the paddock
Hard days
- A traveller who is tired and angry about having their bag searched
- A producer who believes your rules are costing them money
- Early starts, long drives and standing in the weather to look at crops or animals
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 311132, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.