Poultry Farmer

A poultry farmer manages the daily operations of a commercial or small-scale poultry enterprise, including breeding, housing, feeding, and health management of chickens, turkeys, ducks, or other fowl. They oversee production cycles, manage labour and equipment, maintain biosecurity protocols, and ensure compliance with animal welfare and food safety standards. The role combines animal husbandry knowledge with business management in a farm setting.

Monitor flock health daily, identify signs of disease or distress, and implement treatment protocols or arrange veterinary intervention. Manage feed supply chains, source appropriate nutrition formulations, monitor feed conversion ratios, and adjust rations based on flock performance. Maintain biosecurity measures including quarantine procedures, vehicle and equipment disinfection, and visitor access controls to prevent disease entry. Oversee housing facilities including ventilation, temperature control, lighting schedules, and nest box or roost maintenance. Record production data including egg or meat yields, mortality rates, feed consumption, and vaccination schedules for traceability and regulatory compliance. Prepare poultry for sale or processing, including catching, transport arrangements, and compliance with animal transport standards. Manage waste and manure disposal in accordance with environmental protection regulations and local council requirements. Supervise farm workers in daily tasks such as egg collection, cleaning, feeding, and record-keeping.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You're on call 365 days a year: birds need feeding, watering, and health checks every single day including weekends and public holidays. Disease can wipe out your entire flock overnight, devastating your income. Profit margins are tight and squeezed by volatile feed costs and supermarket pricing power. You'll handle animal deaths regularly and eventually send birds to slaughter.

Most farms cluster within 100-200km of major processing facilities. This is location-dependent work: you need land and can't work remotely.

• Administer treatment to animalscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Supplier Communicationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Advise on animal purchase
• Advise on animal welfare
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Negotiation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Research and Analysis
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Verbal Communication
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026