According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches. | 95% |
| Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary. | 94% |
| Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases. | 89% |
| Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries. | 89% |
| Arrange for sale of animals and eggs to hospitals, research centers, pet shops, and food processing plants. | 89% |
| Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines. | 88% |
| Bathe and groom animals. | 86% |
| Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics. | 86% |
| Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury. | 86% |
| Exercise animals to keep them in healthy condition. | 85% |
| Adjust controls to maintain specific building temperatures required for animals' health and safety. | 80% |
| Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards. | 79% |
| Maintain logs of semen specimens used and animals bred. | 79% |
| Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets. | 79% |
| Brand, tattoo, or tag animals to allow animal identification. | 78% |
| Inject prepared animal semen into female animals for breeding purposes, by inserting nozzle of syringe into vagina and depressing syringe plunger. | 77% |
| Prepare containers of semen for freezing and storage or shipment, placing them in dry ice or liquid nitrogen. | 73% |
| Clip or shear hair on animals. | 71% |
| Attach rubber collecting sheaths to genitals of tethered bull and stimulate animal's organ to induce ejaculation. | 66% |
| Package and label semen to be used for artificial insemination, recording information such as the date, source, quality, and concentration. | 61% |
| Exhibit animals at shows. | 61% |
| Measure specified amounts of semen into calibrated syringes, and insert syringes into inseminating guns. | 58% |
| Perform procedures such as animal dehorning or castration. | 56% |
| Examine semen microscopically to assess and record density and motility of gametes, and dilute semen with prescribed diluents, according to formulas. | 53% |