JA Labor Cage-Free

POSITION DESCRIPTION:  The role of the Production Laborer at a layer farm will be responsible for monitoring conditions within his or her house and reporting problems to management as necessary.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Responsible for working in a set of chicken houses (includes help with production, feed, water, pits, mortality, and pest control.)
• Responsible for working with managers to ensure that the goals for the house are being met and that everything is running efficiently.
• Responsible for filling in when coworkers miss, quit or take vacations – overtime may be required in the event of a problem.
• Responsible for ensuring house guidelines are followed, birds are content, and eggs are running smoothly up the belt to the grading area.
• Responsible for pulling mortality and not leaving until the job is complete.
• Responsible for the basic cleanliness of the house – this includes daily sweeping, routine disinfection, and removing any mortality.
• Responsible for cleaning chicken cages of debris or anything that might affect the health of the birds in the cage.
• Responsible for walking egg jams and locating problem areas.
• Responsible for ensuring pests are kept to a minimum in the houses and assisting managers in setting out traps and pest bait.
• Responsible for reporting any problem that is beyond normal duties to the manager immediately.
• Responsible for filling out all necessary paperwork and ensuring that it is distributed and sent to the correct areas.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• High school education is desired – previous experience in layer house operations, farming or grain operations, or general agricultural experience is desired.
• Must be able to work with live animals and continually have their health and well-being at the top of the daily list. (All house workers must continually monitor three essential items – feed, water, and temperatures.)
• Must be able to physically touch live and mortality chickens, catch them, and at the same time remain calm and quiet to avoid upsetting the birds and making them nervous.
• Must be able to perform a wide variety of job functions, including pulling mortality from cages, walking egg jams, working to prevent egg loss by checking belts, and continually monitoring feed and water usage.
• Must be capable of identifying problems before they occur and reporting them to the manager immediately.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule – this includes regular work on a Saturday or Sunday or both, overtime work if needed, and holiday work as needed by management.
• Must be able to perform job in a mature and safe fashion – horseplay, running, sleeping, and smoking on the job are grounds for immediate termination.
• Must have excellent communication and people skills – must be able to work with coworkers professionally. In addition, the house worker is required to report any form of harassment to the manager immediately.
• Must be capable of treating ALL employees in the complex with respect and courtesy.
• Must be able to abide by ALL Rose Acre Employee Handbook policies, and MUST be capable of adhering to all Rose Acre bio-security policies

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Must possess the ability to work in an agricultural environment, indoors, outdoors, office, warehouse, processing, and farm production areas each varying in temperature, and other environment specific atmospheres.
• Must be willing and able to work past the scheduled leave time to complete the job, if needed.
• Must possess the ability to work in an open office setting.
• Must maintain professionalism with coworkers.

ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT:

• Rose Acre Farms is fully committed to providing our animals with a safe and healthy environment, free from abuse and treated humanely in all aspects.
• All team members are obligated by moral duty, Rose Acre Farms requirement (refer to Animal Abuse Policy in Rose Acre Farms Handbook), and legal obligation to uphold the strictest animal welfare structured environment and are obligated to report any incidents of abuse, neglect, or breach of biosecurity for the health and welfare of our animals.

NON-SMOKING WORKPLACE:

• No smoking allowed in workplace, break areas, or on any company property.
• No smoking in company provided vehicles.

Rose Acres is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants.  Applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

Disclaimer: Although this job description lists and identifies the primary duties of the listed position, it is not an exclusive list. As with all positions at Rose Acre Farms, the very nature and diversification of an egg production facility requires that all team members remain flexible to cover a wide variety of duties that may need covered.

The Information contained in this job description is not only to inform you of the requirements of this position but will also be used to evaluate your work performance. This will include assisting in a determination of whether you will be entitled to certain bonuses and/or raises, and whether or not performance related disciplinary action would be taken against you.

Updated 09/06/2023