Assistant Agricultural Research Technician (Dixon Springs) - Animal Sciences

Duties & Responsibilities

• Perform all tasks relating to diet preparation and feeding of animals. This includes receiving, processing, mixing, storing and delivering food.
• Perform all duties related to research protocols and data collection procedures as they pertain to on-going research at assigned unit. This includes the careful maintenance of records for experimental animals as well as for herd animals. This may also includes collection of data or specimens for diagnostic or environmental control procedures.
• Conduct cleaning, bedding, and repair of animal pens and other facilities as needed.
• Conduct routine and periodic maintenance of mechanized equipment, tools, and facilities involved with the unit's operations.
• Remove waste, and animals from pens and facilities as required.
• Observe animals regularly, recognizing and reporting changes in eating or drinking habits and general behaviors and outward signs of disease or abnormal appearance/behaviors.
• Perform duties as they relate to general handling, moving, restraining, providing of approved health care and general husbandry of the animals. This may include administration of medications and treatments.
• Observe animals for estrus, breed and/or assist in breeding as required. Maintain breeding records as required.
• Record and/or maintain animal health records, breeding data, or other necessary production or operational and husbandry records.
• Prepare livestock for teaching, research, and demonstration purposes. This includes the movement of animals from one location to another, either by walking them or through other means of approved mechanized transport.
• Perform duties as they relate to providing a clean, safe, and professional environment for the animals, fellow employees, the department, and the university.
• Perform duties in safe manner, to include but not limited to, handling of livestock and safely utilize various farm equipment potentially in confined spaces or areas with overhead electrical lines. Equipment utilized in this position includes; but not limited to, tractors, loaders, power take-off vehicle operation, post drivers, and chainsaw operation.
• Perform other related duties as required or assigned. As needed, perform other related duties that involve or serve the needs of other departmental units. These may include performing agricultural tillage, crop production, harvesting, and forage/feed processing. Interact in a professional and polite manner with faculty, students, other university personnel, and the general public.