Animal farmer

Several apprenticeships for the breeding and keeping of domestic animals are grouped under the title of animal host : cattle , pigs , poultry , sheep and honeybees .

Subjects

Animal farmer specializing in cattle farming

Livestock farmers specializing in cattle husbandry produce and care for breeding and slaughter cattle as well as dairy cattle in farms. They also market the animals and their products.

Animal farmer specializing in pig farming

Pig farmers breed, care for and market piglets as well as fattening and breeding pigs. They can work towards the production goals of meat quality and breeding success in specialized agricultural operations or in insemination stations as well as in teaching, testing and research institutes.

Animal farmer specializing in poultry farming

Animal owners specializing in poultry farming breed, care for and market poultry. They feed the fattening animals and laying hens , raise them, take care of their health and obtain poultry meat and eggs. You work on poultry breeding and rearing farms.

Animal owner specializing in sheep farming

Sheep farmers breed and keep sheep in order to sell the animals or their meat and wool. You will also work as a shepherd in the field of landscape maintenance.

Animal owner specializing in beekeeping

Beekeepers specialize in keeping bees. They look after and breed bee colonies, obtain and market honey and other bee products, and breed queen bees. You can also work at state institutes for beekeeping, at bee research institutes or at beekeeping cooperatives.

education

A basic vocational training year (BGJ) must be completed before the training . After passing the BGJ, the apprentices spend the second and third year of training on full-time farms in the respective field. The animal owner is one of the so-called green professions . The training to become an animal host takes place as a dual training , i.e. H. You learn the theoretical subjects in the vocational school and the practical in the training company. The training ends with a final examination ( journeyman's examination ), which is state-recognized. The master craftsman's examination is still a basic requirement for qualification as a trainer. The training companies must be recognized as training companies .

Cross-professional training content

The following areas are taught in all subject areas: labor and collective bargaining law ; Structure and organization of the training company; Safety and health at work; Environmental protection ; Ecological relationships , sustainability and consumer protection ; Operational processes and organization, economic relationships; Planning, controlling and processing business processes; Communication and information; Machines, devices and operating equipment; Animal welfare ; Animal production ; Animal breeding ; Animal husbandry ; Feeding; Animal health and hygiene; Use of animals and the extraction of specific products.

Job-related training content

During the entire training course, part-time vocational school lessons take place, which are structured as follows for the individual directions:

Cattle farming

Rearing of calves and young cattle; Cattle farming; Reproduction ; Production of milk , breeding and slaughter animals ; Pasture farming , fodder production .

Pig farming

Reproduction; Sow husbandry; Piglet rearing and pig fattening ; Marketing; Technical systems of pig farming; Recovery and disposal of residues.

Poultry farming

Husbandry and herd management; Feeding; Extraction of eggs and meat; Reproduction, brood; Recovery and disposal of residues.

Sheep farm

Sheep farming ; Lambing and rearing; Production of wool , milk and meat; Herding technology; Pasture management, fodder production; Nature conservation and landscape management .

beekeeping

Colony management and bee health; Bee migration ; Bee pasture , pollination and conservation; Obtain and market bee products; Queen breeding; Beekeeping equipment.

For apprentice beekeeping apprentices, vocational school lessons do not take place weekly, but in a 10-week block ( in one piece ), which lasts from the beginning of January to mid-March and takes place nationwide for all apprentice beekeepers at the Institute for Apiculture in Celle (Lower Saxony). If the trainee learns for three years, in the first year of the apprenticeship he attends the vocational school in the place where the training company is located, in the second and third year he attends the block lessons in Celle. If the training is shortened to two years, the vocational school in Celle must be attended in both years.