Becoming an Animal Breeder
Animal Breeders produce animals and care their day-to-day life for numerous purposes such as sale, show, sport, consumption, preservation or companionship of animals. The animals may be pets, farm animals, or exotic animals. Animal breeders use their knowledge of genetics to select qualitative breeding stock that will produce superior offspring.
Their responsibilities include arranging environment for animals’ mating, examining health status of the animals, purchasing healthy animal breed, facilitating breeding by live cover or artificial insemination, assisting with difficult births, maintaining cages or enclosures, feeding, watering, administering supplements or medications, treating minor injuries, selling or rehousing baby animals, assessing and recording required data of the animals etc. These professionals also ensure that their animals are purebred, and meet any breed standards or breeding club guidelines.
Work Environment
Animal Breeders can get employment in various environments such as government departments, animal shelters, commercial farms, zoos, laboratories, research facilities etc. They can expect to work different hours depending on their setting. Some of these professionals are self-employed.
The working conditions for an Animal Breeder will vary according to the type of breeding. A domestic Animal Breeder will often work inside, either in their home or in an animal shelter, whereas agricultural or zoo Animal Breeders will often work outdoors and researchers will mainly work in laboratories.
These professionals may specialize within their breed of choice by selecting in favor of performance for a particular purpose. Both full time and part time positions are available in this profession.
Educational Requirements
The position of an Animal Breeder normally requires a high school diploma or equivalent, however most of the employers prefer the candidates with four-year bachelor’s degree in the area of biology, animal science, veterinary science, or related field. The syllabus includes genetics, physiology, anatomy, reproduction, animal nutrition etc.
Job Outlook and Salary
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities for Animal Breeders may rise 1% from 2012to 2022. The average annual salary of an Animal Breeder was $44,650 in May 2015.