Career Overview
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
Also Known As
- Cowboy
- Herdsman
- Livestock Handler
- Ranch Hand
Alternate Job Titles
- Agricultural Worker
- Animal Care Taker
- Animal Feeder
- Animal Herder
- Animal Husbandry Worker
- Animal Keeper
- Aquaculture Worker
- Aquatic Laborer
- Aquatic Life Laborer
- Bait Digger
- Barn Hand
- Barn Worker
- Bee Keeper
- Bee Raiser
- Bee Robber
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies.
- Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures.
- 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 and grade, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos.
- Drive trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals.
- Segregate animals according to weight, age, color, and physical condition.
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Problem Sensitivity
- Control Precision
- Oral Comprehension
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Deductive Reasoning
- Near Vision
- Trunk Strength
- Far Vision
- Static Strength
- Multilimb Coordination
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Some College Courses
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- All terrain vehicles ATV
- Animal hair clippers
- Animal hair trimmers
- Animal trailers
- Animal vaccination syringes
- Automated feed batch mixers
- Automatic milking parlors
- Automatic watering devices
- Backhoes
- Balling guns
- Blood drawing syringes
- Castration equipment
- Cattle chutes
- Cattle prods
- Claw hammers
Work Environment
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Standing
- Contact With Others
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $27,110 |
| Median | $36,150 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $51,840 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 35,420
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Animal Breeders
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $52,000
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $35,690
Agricultural Equipment Operators
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $42,580
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $37,700
Slaughterers and Meat Packers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $39,790
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.