Poultry Production Manager
Organic, Regenerative Egg and Pastured Meat-Bird Operations
Salary: $55,000–$75,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications
Job Type: Full-time
Location: St. Marys, Kansas area
ABOUT US
Carlson Old Fashioned Farms is a regenerative, organic whole-farm operation raising dairy cattle, grass-fed beef, laying hens, and pasture-raised meat chickens alongside gardens, greenhouses, and direct farm-to-table delivery. Every department — soil, pasture, livestock, poultry, processing, and delivery — is built to support the others.
THE ROLE
We're looking for an experienced, hands-on Poultry Production Manager to build and run our laying-hen and meat-bird programs from the ground up.
Our laying flock is currently about 100 hens, and we plan to grow it to as many as 1,000 productive layers over the next year. At the same time, you'll build a meat-bird program toward a goal of 250 finished whole chickens per week (roughly 13,000 birds per year), including the slaughter, processing, and packaging systems to support it.
This is a builder's role, not a caretaker's role — you'll be designing housing, pasture rotations, staffing, food-safety and biosecurity programs, and processing infrastructure, while staying hands-on in daily operations.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Grow the laying flock from ~100 to up to 1,000 hens with a phased plan, proper housing, feeding, watering, and flock-replacement systems.
- Build a scalable meat-bird program (chick placement through processing) toward 250 birds/week.
- Design and manage rotational grazing for both flocks, integrated with the farm's regenerative practices.
- Lead organic compliance, recordkeeping, and certification requirements for both programs.
- Develop and run the farm's poultry slaughter and processing operation — from live-bird handling through chilling, packaging, and storage — including working directly with USDA, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and organic certifiers on licensing and inspection.
- Build food-safety, sanitation, and biosecurity programs (HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs) appropriate to the farm's processing model.
- Recruit, train, and supervise poultry and processing staff.
- Manage budgets, production costs, and inventory, and report regularly to farm leadership.
- Coordinate weekly egg and chicken availability with the farm's direct-to-customer delivery program.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- Experience managing laying hens, broilers, pastured poultry, or a diversified farm operation.
- Working knowledge of brooding, flock health, poultry nutrition, and pasture-based/rotational grazing systems.
- Experience scaling a poultry operation — building systems and infrastructure, not just maintaining one.
- Familiarity with organic production and certification requirements.
- Experience with poultry slaughter, processing, food safety, or HACCP programs is a plus, as is experience working with regulatory agencies or inspectors.
- Strong recordkeeping, budgeting, and organizational skills, and the ability to supervise a team.
- Ability to work outdoors in all weather and perform physically demanding work (lifting feed, catching birds, moving fencing, etc.).
- Valid driver's license and dependable transportation; occasional after-hours response when needed.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- $55,000–$75,000 per year, based on experience, qualifications, and demonstrated ability to build and scale a poultry operation.
- Benefits and PTO follow the same structure as our Processing Plant Manager and Garden & Greenhouse Manager roles; specifics reviewed during the interview and offer process.
HOW TO APPLY
Send a résumé along with a brief note on your experience with laying hens, meat birds, pastured poultry, rotational grazing, organic agriculture, poultry processing, or team leadership — including flock sizes managed, systems you've built, and any agencies or certifiers you've worked with.
Pay: $55,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- On-the-job training
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
