The duties of livestock and poultry producers vary depending on which livestock they are raising and for what purpose. They use recognized breeding practices to continually improve herds or flocks. They also:
- Determine market requirements and select breeding stock
- Attend animals during birthing if required
- Feed and water animals during each stage of their growth and development (most often an automated process)
- Control the spread of disease and parasites through biosecurity, vaccination, and by separating sick animals from the rest
- Maintain sanitary conditions and ventilation in barns and other enclosures, and manage waste (manure)
- Maintain pasture or grazing lands to ensure animals have enough feed
- Purchase, produce, process, and store livestock feed
- Provide humane handling and transport for livestock
- Take part in developing and implementing animal welfare and quality assurance programs
- Use computer applications to keep production, breeding, and financial records
- Evaluate marketing alternatives (packing plants, public stockyards, or rural auction markets)
- Maintain enclosures and handling systems
- Repair and maintain barns, buildings, equipment, and machinery
They may produce, harvest, and store feed crops. They also may recruit and supervise staff.
As well, breeders of purebred animals:
- Keep detailed records of identification, performance, and pedigree, which provide the basis for genetic improvements and sale prices
- Develop screening programs to continually improve the herd or flock by culling lower-quality animals
- Promote their animals to increase market opportunities
In automated operations, livestock and poultry producers must clean and sterilize equipment. They must also monitor and repair the equipment as needed.
Livestock producers usually specialize in one type of operation.
Beef cattle producers own or manage three types of operations:
- Commercial cow-calf operations raise calves for their meat and market them through private sale, public stockyards, or rural auction markets.
- Purebred cow-calf operations raise specific breeds of purebred cattle to sell as breeding stock to commercial herds.
- Feedlot operations feed calves or yearlings to a standard level of finish (fatness) before selling them to packing plants for slaughter.
Swine producers own or manage two types of operations:
- Commercial swine producers keep breeding stock to produce piglets or buy them from other producers. They then raise the piglets to market weight.
- Purebred swine breeders raise purebred hogs for sale as breeding stock to commercial swine producers.
Poultry producers own or manage three types of operations:
- Table egg producers ensure the steady production of high-quality eggs for consumption.
- Hatching egg producers ensure the steady production of high-quality eggs for hatcheries.
- Commercial chicken producers and commercial turkey producers raise chickens and turkeys for meat. They market their birds to processing plants across Canada.
Sheep farmers or ranchers own or manage three types of operations:
- Purebred breeders supply the sheep industry with top-quality breeding stock of various breeds.
- Commercial lamb producers maintain a flock of ewes to produce wool. They also raise lambs for slaughter.
- Feedlot lamb producers feed lambs obtained from commercial herds. They raise them on special rations until they are ready for slaughter.
Alternative livestock producers own or manage non-traditional types of livestock operations:
- Breeding stock producers raise animals to supply industry with quality breeding males and females.
- Other producers raise animals for slaughter or for the collection of by-products.
- Certified organic operations produce livestock and poultry according to the general principles and management standards of the organic production system.
