1. Now managed by Philip and Gillian Durbin
The Bickfield Herd
Established at Bickfield Farm Comptom Martin by Maurice Durbins father in 1930, switching to Guernseys in 1945
Now managed by Philip and Gillian Durbin
When Maurice took over from his father the were 17 acres owned and over the years the acreage has rxpanded to over 350 in a ring fence.

2. Milking herd details
270 cows in milk despite losing 120 cows to bovine TB in the last 5 years.
Major investment between 2010 and 2012 saw the replacement of the wooden cow kennels with cow comfort cubicles ( free stalls) with mats and sawdust topped
Cows
Milk cow /year
F +P kgs
Fat %
Prot %
SCC
% 1st Lact
Age at 1st calf
291
6192 litres
522
4.71
3.71
148
35%
2yrs 4 mth

3. Management that may help Fertility
The Durbins serve cows early in the heat when the cow is still standing and believe this helps to achieve a higher percentage of heifer calves
Fresh calved cows are housed in a straw yard ( pack bed) whilst adjusting to the new lactation and any cows that are thought to have had a difficult calving or twins is examined by the Vet at the routine monthly visit.

4. Fertility measures
Calving Interval 390 days UK GuernseyBreed average 427 day

5. Fertility measures 2
52% of cows are in calf at 100 days after calving UK avg 34%

6. Natural Service sires
Maurice and Philip have a well designed range of 4 bull pens which adjoin the collecting yard which allow the safe use of natural service sires and allow older bulls to be used in the herd if and when they are no longer able to be run in the fields.
There are normally 5 or 6 working age bulls on the farm

7. Bulls pens at Bickfield Farm

8. Heifers born
Heifers
Sires
Dtrs by proven sires
Dtrs by young sires
AI young sires
% Young sires
2013 96 15 23 63 52
65%
2014
109 22 32 77 19
70%
2015
101 16 4 97 55
96%
Gillian Durbin rears the calves and in 2015 had a 99% success rate.
The calves are reared in hutches before being weaned to a pole barn.

9. Global Guernsey Breeding Plan
A quick analysis of the US young bulls used in the UK shows that Bickfield has and is making a significant contribution to the goal of the Global Guernsey Breeding Plan launched in 2001 at the WGCF Conference in South Africa

10. US young bulls used at Bickfield
Dtrs at Bickfield
Dtrs in the UK
Herds
Marksman 12 80 10
Phonze 24 83 14
Novak 4 64 15
Lyndell 82 17
V IP
120 19
Legend 5
108
Assault 13 67
Dawson 11 25 9
Navajo 7 46
Pinto ( 15) and Gotcha (10 ) also have dtrs at Bickfield but more calves are due

11. The Type we like and Breed
BICKFIELD VENESSA 37 EX 94 (97/94) National Champion 2015