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(Poultry Unit Manager, Broiler Farm Manager, Layer Farm Manager, Poultry Production Manager)
Agriculture & Environment
Salary
€32,000 - €58,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Agriculture & Environment
As a Poultry Farm Manager you oversee the day-to-day running of broiler or layer units, ensuring flocks are healthy, well-fed, and managed in line with Bord Bia quality assurance standards. You monitor biosecurity protocols, control access to poultry houses, and carry out regular welfare and feed audits to meet both national and EU regulations. You supervise farm workers, coordinate with feed suppliers, veterinary advisers, and hauliers, and keep detailed production records covering mortality rates, feed conversion, and flock performance. During harvest cycles you organise the catching and loading of birds for transport to processing plants, ensuring animal welfare requirements are met throughout. You also manage budgets, equipment maintenance, and environmental compliance on the farm.
Listen: a day as a Poultry Farm Manager
Your alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. You pull on your overalls and biosecurity footwear before stepping outside into the early-morning air. Before anything else, you complete a walkround of all four poultry houses, checking that the automatic ventilation fans, heating systems, and drinker lines are functioning correctly. You log the overnight temperature readings and note the ammonia levels on your clipboard — anything above the permitted threshold means adjusting the ventilation straight away to protect the flock's respiratory health. By 7:00 a.m. you are back in the farm office recording overnight mortality figures into your flock management software. Every dead bird must be counted, bagged, and placed in the fallen-stock bin for collection under Department of Agriculture regulations. You then check your feed bins remotely via the monitor display on the wall and phone the feed supplier to confirm this week's delivery schedule, as you are approaching the grower-phase ration switch for your current batch of 40,000 broilers.
A Leaving Certificate with subjects such as Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics provides a strong foundation for entry into this field. The typical minimum route is a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (with a poultry or livestock specialism), available through Teagasc colleges such as Ballyhaise or Kildalton, or through ETB further education providers. A Level 7 Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (TU Dublin, ATU, SETU) or a Level 8 Bachelor of Agricultural Science (UCD) offers broader career progression opportunities and is increasingly preferred by larger integrated companies. Teagasc also offers part-time and blended programmes suited to those already working on farms. No statutory registration body governs this role, but Bord Bia Quality Assurance certification and DAFM herd-keeper registration are standard requirements in practice.
Many Poultry Farm Managers begin as farm operatives or assistant managers, gaining hands-on experience with flock management and biosecurity before taking on supervisory responsibility. Completing a QQI Level 6 programme in Agriculture or an NFQ Level 7/8 degree in Agricultural Science strengthens prospects for managing larger or more complex units. With several years of proven production results, managers may progress to managing multiple sites for an integrated poultry company or move into technical advisory, quality assurance, or supply chain roles. Some experienced managers go on to establish their own poultry enterprises, supported by Teagasc advisory services and DAFM scheme funding.
AI-driven precision livestock farming tools are beginning to assist Poultry Farm Managers by automating the monitoring of temperature, humidity, feed consumption, and flock behaviour through sensor networks and camera systems. Predictive analytics can flag early signs of disease or underperformance, allowing managers to intervene before welfare or production targets are affected. However, the physical, biosecurity-sensitive nature of poultry farming means that on-site judgement, stockmanship, and hands-on management remain essential and cannot be replaced by technology alone. Managers who embrace these digital tools while maintaining strong practical skills will be best placed in the evolving sector.
→ Poultry Farm Manager (Current role)
4 year • Environment, Agriculture & Animals
Bachelor4 year • Environment, Agriculture & Animals
Bachelor4 year • Environment, Agriculture & Animals
Postgraduate2 year • Environment, Agriculture & Animals
FET1 year • Environment, Agriculture & Animals
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Dungannon, Co. Tyrone (with contracted growers across border counties)
Manage broiler grow-out units supplying Moy Park's processing operations.
Shercock, Co. Cavan
Oversee broiler and turkey flocks for Ireland's largest chicken brand.
Co. Cavan and Co. Meath
Run poultry units supplying integrated processor networks across the midlands.
Edenderry, Co. Offaly
Manage farmed poultry supply chains within an integrated agri-food group.
Timahoe, Co. Kildare
Manage free-range and barn layer flocks meeting Bord Bia egg standards.
Dunsany, Co. Meath / Fermoy, Co. Cork
Run research poultry units and advise commercial farms on best practice.
Nationwide
Support and audit QA-certified poultry farms across Ireland.
Naas, Co. Kildare
Coordinate poultry production supplying cooked poultry ingredient processing plant.
Claremorris, Co. Mayo
Oversee poultry units linked to co-op feed and agri services network.
Co. Monaghan and Co. Armagh
Manage contract broiler and layer farms supplied through co-op feed division.
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