Hatchery Worker

Hatchery Worker at Hoover's Hatchery NM LLC in Portales, NM.

SOC 45-2093 represents 100% of the work performed in this chicken hatchery production facility, where employees incubate chicken eggs, hatch chicks, and handle the flow of chicks through separation, order preparation, and shipment to customers. The work centers on examining feathering and color characteristics to segregate chicks by sex, then supporting the hatchery and farm operations by performing toe, wing, and beak clipping, vaccinating chicks, and loading chicks into the separator. Employees receive, load, and unload eggs and chicks at the hatchery, farms, and shipping locations, including driving vans to farms and shipping locations and handling eggs and chicks during transport. They place eggs on trays, load trays into incubators, transfer eggs from incubators to hatchers, dump product waste, fill customer chick orders, clean and sanitize the facility and equipment, and perform all other duties as assigned to keep hatchery operations moving from incubation through shipment. The employer, at its sole discretion, may grant pay increases based on factors such as performance, longevity, and/or experience. Employer may also, at its sole discretion, offer performance-based incentive bonuses that are not guaranteed and are determined by the employer. Workers returning for a consecutive season will be paid at their previous season’s rate if that rate exceeds the current published rate.

Work begins January 9, 2027 and ends May 31, 2027.

Pay is $15.96 per hour.

Housing is provided.

Typical schedule: about 40 hours per week.