Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Hog Tender

🎯 Role Definition

The Hog Tender is a frontline, hands-on livestock caregiver responsible for the daily welfare, feeding, handling, and monitoring of swine across production stages (nursery, grower, finisher, and breeding facilities as assigned). This role ensures animals receive proper nutrition and health care, observes and reports clinical and behavioral changes, maintains clean and safe housing environments, enforces biosecurity and safety protocols, and supports production and management teams to meet productivity, animal welfare, and regulatory goals. The ideal candidate blends practical husbandry skills, strong observational ability, and the physical capacity to perform repetitive and sometimes heavy work in varied weather and farm conditions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Farm Laborer / General Farm Worker
Animal Care Assistant / Kennel or Livestock Attendant
Agricultural Intern or Seasonal Hog Farm Worker

Advancement To:

Lead Hog Tender / Senior Hog Caretaker
Herd Manager / Swine Team Lead
Production Supervisor / Barn Manager
Farm Operations Manager / Site Manager

Lateral Moves:

Livestock Technician / Animal Health Technician
Feed Mill Operator / Nutrition Assistant
Biosecurity or Compliance Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Perform daily feeding and watering tasks to ensure hogs receive the correct rations and water access; adjust feeding programs as directed by nutritionists or managers and document feed usage and leftover metrics for cost and health monitoring.
Conduct systematic, hands-on health checks of individual animals and groups, identify and isolate sick or injured animals, administer medications and injectable treatments under supervision, and coordinate with the herd veterinarian for diagnoses and treatment plans.
Monitor sows, boars, and piglets during critical production events (farrowing, weaning, breeding) to assist with birthing complications, ensure piglet survival (colostrum intake, warmth), and perform neonatal care tasks per standard operating procedures.
Maintain and inspect barn infrastructure and animal housing daily — repair or report damaged gates, feeders, waterers, ventilation systems, and flooring to ensure a safe environment and minimize injury or health risks.
Execute strict biosecurity and disease-prevention practices at all facility checkpoints — enforce visitor protocols, clean and disinfect boots and equipment, and follow site-specific isolation and sanitation procedures to prevent pathogen introduction or spread.
Operate farm equipment safely and effectively (feed carts, hydraulic gates, small tractors, skid steers, ATVs) to move animals, bedding, or feed; perform pre-use safety checks and basic daily maintenance.
Assist with animal movements, loading, and unloading for on-farm transfers, transport to slaughter or vet appointments; apply low-stress animal handling techniques to reduce injury and production setbacks.
Perform routine cleaning, manure removal, and bedding management to maintain hygienic pens and optimize animal comfort, air quality, and drainage — follow manure-handling protocols and schedule.
Accurately record daily production and animal health data (weights, feed consumption, mortality, treatments, farrowing outcomes) using paper logs or electronic herd-management systems; escalate out-of-range trends to supervisors.
Support vaccination and reproductive programs by preparing animals, holding during procedures, labeling and tracking treated animals, and maintaining appropriate treatment logs for traceability and compliance.
Identify and respond to emergency animal health situations (acute illness, injury, facility failure) quickly and calmly, providing first aid, isolating affected animals, and notifying management and veterinary staff for triage.
Follow euthanasia protocols humanely and in accordance with company policy and local regulations when required; document and report incidents according to established guidelines.
Maintain accurate inventories of supplies (veterinary drugs, feed additives, PPE, disinfectants) and assist with ordering and stock rotation to avoid downtime and shortages.
Participate in routine animal weighing, body condition scoring, and growth monitoring; communicate growth or feed-conversion issues to production leads to adjust rations or management strategies.
Perform sensory and behavior assessments (appetite, vocalizations, posture, social interactions) to detect subtle welfare or management issues and recommend corrective actions.
Assist with breeding programs as assigned — heat detection support, moving breeding animals, maintaining clean breeding stalls, and documenting breeding events and dates.
Support on-site training by mentoring newer team members in standard operating procedures, safe animal handling, and biosecurity practices; help maintain a culture of continuous improvement and safety.
Implement environmental controls and respond to ventilation, heating, and cooling issues to maintain recommended temperature and air quality standards for different production stages.
Work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as production demands require; be prepared for physically demanding shifts and weather-exposed duties.
Participate in routine audits, compliance checks, and animal welfare assessments, providing records and observations to support regulatory and corporate audits.
Coordinate with maintenance and feed suppliers to troubleshoot operational problems affecting animal health or performance (e.g., feed line blockages, water pressure issues, heater failures) and facilitate timely repairs.
Help implement and document continuous improvement projects on the farm focused on animal welfare, feed efficiency, labor efficiency, or environmental stewardship.

Secondary Functions

Support record consolidation and ad-hoc reporting requests for production analytics teams by providing accurate on-floor data and observations.
Train with and adopt herd-management software tools and mobile applications to improve data capture and communication across the production team.
Participate in scheduled safety and animal-welfare training; contribute feedback on SOPs to improve frontline workflows.
Assist in basic on-farm biosecurity and environmental compliance tasks, including spill response, waste management, and responsible chemical storage.
Help coordinate small capital projects in barns (lighting upgrades, gate replacements) by providing field input and verifying project completion standards.
Contribute to community and client-facing farm tours or external visits by representing daily operations and explaining basic husbandry practices when requested by management.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Practical swine husbandry: feeding routines, farrowing assistance, neonatal care, weaning protocols, and basic reproductive support.
Medication and treatment administration: ability to follow dosing instructions, mix and deliver oral/ injectable medications, and maintain accurate treatment logs.
Animal handling and low-stress movement techniques that minimize injury and stress during sorting, loading, and pen transfers.
Basic equipment operation and maintenance: feed carts, manure scrapers, skid steers, small tractors, ATV/UTV, and basic hand tools.
Biosecurity and sanitation protocols: disinfection, quarantine procedures, PPE use, and contamination prevention methods.
Facility systems awareness: understanding ventilation, heating, water, and feed delivery systems and ability to identify faults affecting animal health.
Recordkeeping and data entry: accurate logging of weights, treatments, mortalities, and feed usage into paper or electronic herd-management systems.
Emergency response and first-aid for animals: triage steps, isolation, record reporting, and safe euthanasia procedures when authorized.
Basic mechanical troubleshooting: identifying clogged feeders, broken waterers, or electrical issues and performing or coordinating minor repairs.
Knowledge of regulatory and welfare standards relevant to swine production and ability to follow SOPs to ensure compliance.

Soft Skills

Strong observational skills with keen attention to detail to spot early signs of illness, injury, or performance decline.
Excellent communication and teamwork abilities to coordinate with supervisors, veterinarians, and fellow caretakers.
Physical stamina and resilience: ability to stand for long periods, lift heavy items, and perform repetitive tasks in varied weather.
Time management and prioritization: manage multiple animal-care tasks each shift while maintaining quality and compliance.
Reliability and punctuality: consistent attendance and a dependable work ethic in a production-driven environment.
Problem-solving mindset and adaptability to adjust to shifting production needs, emergencies, or new protocols.
Empathy and commitment to animal welfare, demonstrating calmness and humane treatment during all interactions.
Willingness to learn and upskill: accept feedback, participate in training, and adopt new tools or procedures to improve farm outcomes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent preferred; on-the-job training and demonstrated experience often accepted in lieu of formal credentialing.

Preferred Education:

Certificate or associate degree in Animal Science, Agriculture, Livestock Management, or a related field; vocational training in farm operations or animal care is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Animal Science
Agriculture / Agricultural Technology
Veterinary Technology (para-veterinary)
Livestock Management
Farm Equipment Operation / Mechanics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0–3 years of hands-on livestock or hog-farm experience for entry-level; 2–5+ years preferred for senior or lead tender roles.

Preferred:

1–2 years minimum experience working with swine in commercial, contract, or family-farm settings.
Demonstrated experience with daily husbandry routines, basic medical administration, and operation of farm equipment.
Prior experience following biosecurity and animal-welfare protocols, and working within production schedules and audit frameworks.