Animal Care jobs in Bristol

Calf Rearer/Herdsperson – Wingfield, Wiltshire

Are you passionate about working with dairy cows and calves? Join our forward-thinking family-run farm and play a key role in our dairy herd and calf unit.

About Us

Our farm, located in Wingfield, Wiltshire, manages a herd of 740 Holstein Friesian cows supplying milk to a premium supermarket. We operate a high-input, high-output grazing system with year-round calving. Our cows are milked twice daily on a rotary parlour and graze during the summer months. As a closed herd, we rear our heifers on-site and with our contract rearer. We're committed to the highest animal welfare standards and offer a supportive working environment.

The Role

As Calf Rearer/Herdsperson, you will be responsible for both the care of the milking herd and the calves. Your time will be split between the dairy and the calf unit. You’ll work with our dairy manager and the team to ensure the health and welfare of the animals, while maintaining high standards throughout the farm. Key responsibilities include:

• Working within the team to milk the cows twice a day ensuring cows are milked to a high standard.
• Rearing the calves from birth to weaning, keeping the calf unit to a high hygiene level, ensuring calves have low disease rate in order to achieve targeted growth. rates/grades, and keeping paper work and data input up to date (on uniform).
• Monitoring cow and calf health, identifying any issues early and ensuring prompt treatment.
• Supporting youngstock management, ensuring weaned calves leave our unit hitting target growth rate so we can pass on a well reared calf to our heifer rearer.
• Maintaining the cleanliness and organization of the calf rearing facilities and milking parlour.

Your Profile

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience in dairy farming, particularly with calf rearing.
• A passion for animal welfare and a genuine empathy for cows and calves.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work proactively to ensure the well-being of the herd.
• Good communication skills within the team.
• Be able to work well within a team as well as being motivated working alone.
• Confidence and enthusiasm for taking responsibility for the care of youngstock.

Requirements

• A full UK driving licence
• The right to work in the UK

Why Join Us?

• Competitive pay package based on experience.
• Accommodation which is a 2 minute drive to the dairy available for the right candidate.
• Work-life balance is important to us, therefore all dairy staff have every other weekend off and a day off midweek, resulting in a 10-day fortnight.
• Staff socials such as a Christmas party, bonfire party, and breakfast after milking shifts to foster team spirit.
• Opportunities for career development, with tailored training programs, including internal and external courses and visits to dairy shows.
• We are a forward-thinking farm, always aiming to improve and innovate.
• We offer 28 days of holiday, with an additional day’s holiday for every year of service, up to 31 days.

Location

Our farm is located in Wingfield, Wiltshire, a charming village with a local school and pub, and just a 20-minute drive from the beautiful city of Bath.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £30,000.00-£36,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• On-site parking

Application question(s):

• Are you happy to start work at 4am?
• Are you looking to move to the area or commute from where you live now?

Work Location: In person