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Animal Breeder

Agriculture

Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Veterinary ScienceAgriculture

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
  2. 2Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
  3. 3Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases.
  4. 4Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
  5. 5Arrange for sale of animals and eggs to hospitals, research centers, pet shops, and food processing plants.
  6. 6Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
  7. 7Bathe and groom animals.
  8. 8Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
  9. 9Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
  10. 10Exercise animals to keep them in healthy condition.
  11. 11Adjust controls to maintain specific building temperatures required for animals' health and safety.
  12. 12Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
  13. 13Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
  14. 14Maintain logs of semen specimens used and animals bred.
  15. 15Brand, tattoo, or tag animals to allow animal identification.
  16. 16Inject prepared animal semen into female animals for breeding purposes, by inserting nozzle of syringe into vagina and depressing syringe plunger.
  17. 17Clip or shear hair on animals.
  18. 18Package and label semen to be used for artificial insemination, recording information such as the date, source, quality, and concentration.
  19. 19Exhibit animals at shows.
  20. 20Measure specified amounts of semen into calibrated syringes, and insert syringes into inseminating guns.
  21. 21Examine semen microscopically to assess and record density and motility of gametes, and dilute semen with prescribed diluents, according to formulas.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Breeder
  • Fur Farmer
  • Bee Breeder
  • Cat Breeder
  • Dog Breeder
  • Aviculturist
  • AI Technician
  • Horse Breeder
  • Rat Culturist
  • Animal Breeder

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service83%
  • Sales and Marketing79%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Administration and Management71%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Biology66%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Mathematics63%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Administrative62%

    Business

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsRarely
  • Contact with other peopleOccasional contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
  • Leading or coordinating othersNot at all
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

3%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Animal Breeders

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org