How to hire animal breeders
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards. • Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury. • Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches. • Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary. • Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines. • Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets. • Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics. • Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong critical thinking, active learning, active listening, monitoring, science and speaking skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, sales and marketing and administration and management • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.58 an hour ($51,130 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for animal breeders
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to build hutches, pens, and fenced yards. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Tell me about something new you had to learn quickly for work. How did you learn it?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What animal breeders do
- Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
- Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
- Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
- Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
- Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
- Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
- Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
- Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for animal breeders
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +3% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,000 openings a year (BLS)
Related hiring guides
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
- Animal Caretakers
- Animal Trainers
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
- Agricultural Technicians
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
- Animal Control Workers
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.