Livestock Volunteer

Livestock volunteers assist with all aspects of animal care. Daily duties include helping with feeding, mucking out enclosures, sweeping the yard and paths, collecting eggs, exercising and putting the animals away at night. We also ask volunteers to help educate and engage with visiting groups and members of the public, through animal handling sessions or answering general enquiries about the animals.

Livestock volunteers should have an interest in animals and their welfare and be prepared to get stuck in with routine, dirty and physical tasks in all weather. We also ask that volunteers are happy to work in a busy environment, engaging in a polite and friendly way with our visitors. Enthusiasm and interest in animal care is essential, skills and knowledge can be taught!

In line with our Safeguarding and Health & Safety Policy, volunteer roles are for adults only, so to be eligible you will need to 18 years or older. We do offer work experience placements for those aged 14+ and deliver a full Youth Programme for under 18’s.

Livestock volunteers need to commit to a set morning (9am-1pm), afternoon (2pm-5pm) attending on a weekly basis, ideally for a minimum of three months. Set times are important, so that we can stick to routine times for the animals we’re caring for and know we’ll have enough help.

Please be aware we have a small staff team with only one Livestock staff member per day and as such volunteer supervision is very limited. We do provide in-role training, but expect volunteers to be capable of working independently to complete a set task.