Elements and Performance Criteria
- Prepare animals for breeding
- Access and confirm requirements of enterprise breeding program and relevant animal data
- Identify work health and safety hazards, assess risks, and implement, monitor and review risk controls in line with enterprise policies
- Identify and prepare joining areas using a range of selection factors
- Handle animals safely and humanely to minimise stress and discomfort and in line with industry and enterprise animal welfare requirements
- Draft animals according to mating plan and in appropriate ratios to encourage optimum mating
- Determine and meet sire requirements in advance of mating
- Prepare and examine animals for mating
- Implement breeding program and monitor mating
- Access veterinary advice according to animal’s needs, enterprise requirements and industry practice
- Identify and schedule dates and timing of breeding
- Carry out physical examination of animals to evaluate health and welfare status of animals
- Observe behaviour of animals during joining to identify necessity of intervention and assistance
- Provide assistance as required
- Complete breeding program
- Remove sires from herd, mob or flock where required
- Monitor mating activity to ensure successful joinings have occurred, to identify problems and to effect remedial action as required
- Arrange for pregnancy testing to determine the effectiveness of joining
- Record and document data to develop history of mating performance and outcomes
- Research industry information of emerging and prevailing practices and compare with enterprise practice to recommend future improvements