Livestock Worker

Work description

All job duties are closely and directly related to the production of livestock. Perform any combination of the following tasks attending to livestock: administer medication as needed; apply herbicides to noxious, invasive and poisonous plant species on grazing areas; assist in the maintenance of tools, equipment and handling facilities necessary to production; assist in the shearing of sheep by herding sheep into corrals and through the shearing plant; assist with castration of livestock; assist with docking; assist with hauling water when winter and drought conditions eliminate natural sources of water for livestock; assist with hoof trimming to reduce the occurrence of discomfort and disease; assist with loading trucks with lambs and/or ewes for transportation; assist with sorting and cutting of culls; assist with tagging sheep when the shearing crew needs it; attend sheep and lambs in barns during lambing season(including night checks); attend to pregnant livestock and newborn offspring in hot fall months and cold winter months; brand, tag, clip or otherwise mark young animals for identification purposes; care for newly born offspring; care for young offspring by drying them off, mixing and feeding supplemental milk, treating umbilical cords, vaccinating, splinting, and cleaning feeding equipment and the lamb barn; ensure newly born lambs stand and nurse ; ensure newly born offspring stand and nurse; evaluate and adjust feed rations for livestock according to body condition and season of production; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; feed supplemental rations to sheep when available forage is not sufficient to increase the plane of nutrition; feed, water and tend to the dogs (both guard and working dogs) and horses; identify ewes that are preparing to give birth; lift and stack bales of hay and sacks of grain and mineral onto a feed truck or wagon; set up, tear down and move temporary electric fence used to contain livestock in a specific area; use proper animal husbandry skills to prevent heat stress/hypothermia/abortion/death.