Hatchery Production Associate

As a Hatchery Production Associate, you play a key role in creating the optimal environment where healthy, high-quality chicks begin their journey. This hands-on position supports a variety of essential hatchery activities that ensure proper incubation, hatching, and care, all while maintaining precise environmental conditions.

Your work directly contributes to delivering a superior product to Perdue Farms growers and helps to uphold the high standards of quality, care, and excellence that define our operations.

This position has a base rate of $16.49 per hour, with opportunities for pay premiums, shift differentials and overtime where applicable. Annual bonus available (variable depending on performance).

In addition to hourly wages, Perdue offers a competitive benefits package, including medical/Rx, 401(k) with employer match after 1 year, critical illness, accident insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, optional group life insurance, short-term and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts and paid time off.

Schedule : Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday from 6:00am to 3:30pm and Wednesday from 7:00am to 12:00pm.

• Correctly receive, set, and transfer approximately 991,440 eggs per week, ensuring minimum damage while maximizing hatchability.
• Thoroughly clean and sanitize entire hatchery, which may include 68 hatchers and setters, 37 evaporative coolers, 14 heaters and associated duct work, reducing to the greatest extent possible the presence of mold and bacteria.
• Properly and efficiently operate tray wash and/or separator machines, ensuring maximum throughput with minimum product damage.
• Safely transport and process approximately 250,000 chicks daily, ensuring accurate chick distribution and proper chick quality control.
• Perform all duties as requested by management in a timely and efficient manner, in accordance with hatchery and company standard operating procedures, while fostering team spirit and morale.

• Moving in an upright position and working on wet, dry, and often slippery concrete floors for up to 4 hours in a single interval.
• Must be able to lift overhead and control 35 lbs to a height of approximately 84 inches.
• Exposure to temperatures from
• Extended exposure to temperatures from 99° to 101° with 82% humidity for periods up to 2 hours in a single interval.
• Exposure to noise ranges of 110db and light intensity range of
• Bending, twisting, and lifting, while grasping containers weighing up to 35 lbs, at intervals up to 10 times per minute, at maximum forward angles of 30-60°. Squatting, lifting and carrying weights of up to 35 lbs while walking distances of 10 – 20 feet.
• Exposure to chlorinated water
• Must wear and/or use personal protective equipment/devices in accordance with SOPs and company directives.