Sheep Farm Worker
841515 · Heavy Next-day ready Career data Close match
Shepherds herd sheep, cows and other animals on farms. They provide animal care, farm maintenance and farmland management. They may work with farm dogs.
Most common salary $50k – $59k
Upper salary up to $65k
Training 0-1 year
Matched as "Shepherd"
Description
Performs routine tasks on a sheep farm such as herding sheep into pens in preparation for branding, shearing, crutching, dipping and yarding for sale.
Typical work tasks
- Patrols, inspects and reports on the condition of sheep; provides sheep with feed and water; assists with maintaining the health and welfare of livestock; musters and drives sheep to shearing sheds and between paddocks to ensure sufficient feed is available; herds sheep for shearing and keeps mobs separate during shearing; spreads fleeces on skirting tables for classing, pressing wool and branding bales.
Typical work environment
- Predominantly works outdoors and in farm buildings.
- Works in all weathers, often for long hours to carry out a wide range of seasonal animal care tasks and general farm-work such as fencing, pasture management, building and fencing
- Working conditions will vary depending on the season and the weather.
Typical physical and mental demands
- Medium to heavy physical demand levels.
- Constantly stands and walks about the farm checking on stock, buildings and fences.
- Occasionally sits when operating farm vehicles or machinery.
- Occasionally stretches up or across when completing some farm tasks such as fencing and the spreading of fleeces.
- Bends occasionally when completing many farm tasks and especially when carrying out lambing, crutching, drenching and picking up in the woolshed.
- Twisting of the body or neck is likely on an occasional basis.
- Contact with skin irritants or water is not significant, but frequent contact with a range of chemicals such as drenches, fuels and lubricants is part of general sheep farm work.
- Heavy lifting, pulling or carrying is occasional required as part of carrying out sheep farm work. Repetitive hand and arm movements are frequently required for tasks such as inoculation, tailing or drenching.
- Driving of farm vehicles is frequent. Horses may be utilised at times.
- The use of hand tools for fencing, animal health care, lambing, pasture management, construction and other farm tasks is frequent. Also employees are likely to use light engineering or mechanical equipment.
- Mental skills necessary include animal-handling, administration, planning and decision-making.
Entry signal Reviewed
No formal entry barrier — can start without prior training. Flagged next-day ready.
Entry barrier No formal entry barrier
Licence / registration No licence required
ANZSCO skill level 5
Next-day ready Yes
How this was determined (model-generated): Nil entry requirements; can start immediately.
Entry Requirements
- Nil (ANZSCO Skill Level 5).
Further Comments
- There are opportunities for flexibility of movement but they are limited.
- Many seasonal tasks are performed intermittently but constantly for short periods (e.g. lambing).