Farm Associate I

Aviagen • Albertville, AL

4d

About The Position

The Farm Associate I plays a critical role in the success of farm operations within Aviagen’s poultry farms, with primary responsibility for the care and welfare of birds at the facility. The role involves collecting, grading, transferring, recording, and washing eggs; maintaining sanitary conditions in egg-handling areas; monitoring poultry-house conditions and flock health; and supporting feed management, bird handling, and pen maintenance. Duties may also include working with day-old chicks and performing hatchery tasks, as well as working in a poultry processing plant to handle or cut poultry for data collection. Employees must follow animal-care, animal-welfare, biosecurity, and safety procedures. The work may involve up to six days per week, including weekends and holidays, and physical tasks in variable and sometimes demanding farm environments.

Requirements

• Understand oral and written instructions and perform simple tasks.
• Basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.
• Ability to perform repetitive work.
• Ability to stand for long periods, including eight hours or more, and maintain a flexible work schedule.
• Ability to grip, grasp, or twist using hands and wrists.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds or more.
• Ability to bend and stoop repetitively throughout the shift.
• Ability to work with chemicals such as detergents and disinfectants.
• Ability to perform manual tasks in extreme hot or cold temperatures and in dry, dusty, damp, or wet environments.
• Ability to work with and routinely handle live poultry, including in environments with farm odors, loud noise, and substantial dust circulation.
• Must be currently authorized to work in the country of the specified job location at hire and maintain work authorization throughout employment.

Nice To Haves

• Animal husbandry experience is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Gather eggs while preventing excessive breakage.
• Grade eggs by category, size, and condition; transfer egg flats from the barn to the egg cooler room; record egg counts; and assist with egg washing and sanitation in the egg wash and cooler rooms.
• Maintain and record eggs and gather other data as instructed.
• Monitor poultry-house conditions and troubleshoot feed lines, drinkers, fans, and barn appearance.
• Monitor and document flock health and mortality.
• Clean out houses and rebuild bird pens as needed.
• Transfer feed weighing up to 50 pounds, maintain feed in feeders according to trial requirements, and ensure birds have access to feed.
• Collect birds for moving or weighing.
• Work with day-old chicks in the hatchery; duties may include setting, collecting, and transferring eggs and disinfecting the facility.
• Perform poultry-processing tasks, including live hanging and using cutting instruments to debone or cut poultry as trained for data collection.
• Work safely and efficiently as trained, and follow animal-care standards, animal-welfare guidelines, and biosecurity policies and procedures.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage, subject to plan terms and conditions.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Teladoc, subject to plan terms and conditions.
• Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability coverage, subject to plan terms and conditions.
• Company-observed paid holidays.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) at a rate of 14 days per year, prorated based on hire date.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed