Animal breeders
Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.
Animal breeders select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree. The role reports a median annual salary of $52,000 in the US and is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.43 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £35,295 a year for Farmers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5111). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Animal breeders, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 6. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Production and Processing
- English Language
What you'd actually do
- Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
- Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
- Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
- Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
- Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
- Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Animal breeders do?
Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.
How much does Animal breeders earn?
The median annual salary for Animal breeders in the US is $52,000.
What is the job outlook for Animal breeders?
The role is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 7,900 workers.
How do I become animal breeders?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Animal breeders need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Science. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Animal breeders?
Our AI-durability model gives Animal breeders a score of 0.43 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Animal breeders has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.