Farrowing Department Head
Farrowing Department Head
Description:
This key position is responsible for overseeing all the aspects associated with the farrowing performance of the farm. The Department Head will lead the employees within their department and manage the daily tasks through training and instruction.
The ideal candidate will have a desire to work with pigs, a high level of dependability, solid work history. Also, the candidate must be willing to work cooperatively for the good of the farm, communicate directly, honestly, and respectfully in all interactions.
Personnel Responsibilities:
• Supporting Farm Manager, Company Owner’s and Management Company decisions and policies provided to all farm personnel
• Collaborate with other departments concerning scheduling and organization of daily, weekly and monthly personnel activities
• Supervise and perform production tasks required in farrowing barn.
• Assist in evaluating farm personnel
• Provide training, instruction and constructive feedback to employees in the department
Production Responsibilities:
• Performing duties in compliance with company bio-security and herd health policies, which include mandatory showering and changing into farm clothes prior to entering the farm, having no contact with other swine, and adhering to PIC “down time” requirements as noted in the Employee Handbook
• Set short and long-term goals for the farrowing department
• Daily care of sows and piglets in farrowing buildings
• Monitor farrowing processes and maximize piglet livability
o Timely checking and assisting of sows farrowing
o Ensuring adequate colostrum intake and drying of piglets
o Appropriate set of litters
o Timely pulling fall behind pigs to nurse litters
• Providing adequate environment for sows and piglets
o Environmental controls set appropriately and consistently
o Air inlets adjusted accordingly
o Proper adjustment of heat lamps
o Ensure rooms are clean and disinfected between groups of pigs
• Optimize pig quality at weaning
o Maximize wean age and weight
o Timely intervention on substandard quality pigs
• Maximize sow feed intake
o Ensure fresh feed and adequate water flow is available daily
o Ensure sows are getting up daily and consuming feed to intake capacity
• Follow herd health and biosecurity protocols
o Timely performed vaccination protocols
o Timely performed sow and piglet treatment
o Timely euthanasia of suffering animals and subsequent removal.
• Ensure proper animal husbandry of all animals
o Piglet processing (tails properly docked, castration, ear tagging according PIC protocols)
o Ensure that farm personnel handle animals properly
• Accurate shipments to internal and external customers
o Ensure piglets being shipped have the proper documentation
o Animals are kept in well maintained areas
o Accurate count of piglets being shipped
Facility responsibilities:
• Address issues that may cause an unsafe working environment
• Report break downs needing farm personnel or outside contractor assistance.
• Ensure that work area is kept picked up, clean, neat and orderly
Administrative Responsibilities:
• Ensure sow cards are timely and accurately completed
• Maintain and submit all records and ensure they are accurately completed and submitted in a timely manner
• Collaborate with Farm Manager on weaning scheduling and pig flow projections
Other Responsibilities:
• Be willing to respond to and adequately handle emergency alarm calls
• Perform miscellaneous tasks as directed by Farm Manager
• Be willing to acquire skills as needed to perform technological advancements
Physical Requirements:
• Standing, walking and ability to be on feet 8 to 10 hours per day
• Frequent bending, reaching, squatting and kneeling
• Frequent use of one or both hands/arms to grasp or pull
• Frequent lifting of objects weighing 3-20 pounds
• Occasional bending while pulling and/or lifting objects weighing up to 50 pounds, or requiring up to 50 pounds of force to move
• Occasional bending while pulling and/or lifting objects weighing up to 100 pounds or requiring up to 100 pounds of force to move with the assistance of another person as needed
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Must be able to print and/or write legibly
Qualifications:
Education: High school diploma or equivalent preferred but not required.
Experience: Two years previous livestock handling experience preferred but not required.
Other: Ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Display a high level of respect to team members and animals. Demonstrate an impeccable reliability/dependability standard. Must be able to work weekends
Must have reliable method of transportation to get to work.