Livestock Worker/Ranch hand

Work description

Skill Level 1 Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies. Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain. Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment. Mark livestock to identify ownership, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos. Segregate animals according to weight, age, color, breed and physical condition. Inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, and fences. Move equipment or livestock from one location to another, manually or using trucks or carts. Mix feed, additives, and medicines in prescribed portions. Shift animals between grazing areas to ensure that they have sufficient access to food. Maintain heated watering system and remove ice formed in water. Confine livestock in stalls as needed. Order food for animals and arrange for its delivery. Perform duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding animals within appropriate timeframes, assisting with artificial inseminations, and helping with animal births. Patrol grazing lands on foot or using all-terrain vehicles. Maintain growth, feeding, production, and cost records. Groom, clip, trim, or castrate animals. Apply insecticides to animals. Clean stalls, pens, and equipment, using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, water hoses, or pumps. Operate feed mix wagons, tractors to feed hay to livestock, and load manure and apply to fields. General Conditions: If work is available beyond normal workdays, employer may offer, but not require, worker an opportunity to work additional hours. Workers will report to work at designated time and place as directed by assigned employer each day. workers may be requested to ten (10) hours per day depending on conditions . Also, workers may be requested to work on federal holidays and their Sabbath but will not be required. Workers may volunteer to work additional hours when work is available. Down time: Workers should expect occasional periods of little or no work because of weather, crop or other conditions beyond the employer’s control. These periods can occur any time throughout the season. Worker may be required to work in conditions when wet with dew / rain and should have suitable clothing for conditions which include light rain and temperatures ranging from 10 degrees to more than 100 degrees. Workers should be able to stand, bend, stoop and work for prolonged periods of time and be physically fit to perform duties as assigned. Care must always be exercised with any use of equipment.