Animal Breeders
Also called: Animal Breeder, Animal Husbandman, Animal Husbandry Technician, Animal Technician, Artificial Insemination Technician (AI Technician), Artificial Inseminator, Aviculturist, Bee Breeder
Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring.
What animal breeders do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
- Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
- Brand, tattoo, or tag animals to allow animal identification.
- Arrange for sale of animals and eggs to hospitals, research centers, pet shops, and food processing plants.
- Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases.
- Bathe and groom animals.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Animal Breeders salary
The median annual wage for animal breeders is $51,130 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $38,480 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $90,550. The mean annual wage is $57,010.
The mean hourly wage of $27.00 is 3.7× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Animal Breeders (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $51,130 → in 3 years $56,000 → in 5 years $59,600 → in 10 years $69,400 (10-year range $59,700–$80,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.1% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Animal Breeders
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Animal Breeders? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Animal Breeders
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Animal Breeders United States | ブリーダー Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $51,130 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $69,400 | ¥4.64M |
| Outlook score | 59 | 45 |
| AI replacement risk | 29% Low | 38% Low |
| Workers | 1,330 | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Animal Breeders
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become animal breeders
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as animal breeders
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.