Curbstone Valley DI Bellatrix 7*M 3*D AR 3686

When we elected to retain Trixie to the herd, it was based on her general appearance, and genetic potential. Little did we know, that just a few short weeks later, her dam was about to finish her permanent championship as a first freshener!

This young doe has some very big hooves to fill already.

Her dam has an incredibly wide and well supported udder, scoring 47 for rear udder arch, and 40 for rear udder height, at just a few weeks fresh. Trixie’s dam, Allie, was also our highest producing first freshening doe in 2019.

Although Bellatrix hasn’t yet been shown, due to our short show season with Nationals on the west coast in 2019, her sister, DI Zeta (currently residing in Montana, at Anchor’s Aweigh farm) is already placing very well in the show ring.

I see a lot of her dam in Trixie’s general appearance. She is a smoothly blended, well balanced and angular doe, standing on strong feet and legs, and has tremendous width throughout.

Due to the wildland fire in the fall of 2020, and our decision not to breed at all that fall, Bellatrix was held over to freshen in 2022 as a three year-old first freshener. While not ideal, a number of things were out of our control at that time.

Trixie was bred to Asterion, to freshen in 2022, but sadly she suffered a placental abruption, and her single doeling was born deceased. We were devastated. She was a beautiful long and elegant doeling. Trixie’s udder was remarkably capacious considering she settled with a single. She has the same will to milk as her dam, albeit slightly lacking in capacity. There is little doubt she will improve in udder capacity in her next freshening which will improve her mammary scores, as the structure is there. By the time our late LA was arranged, she was quite overconditioned, too, and her general appearance scores suffered accordingly.

Trixie was rebred to Asterion for the spring of 2023, and produced three beautiful, healthy, daughters. Her capacity improved tremendously. Her first lactation she did incredibly well, considering her kid was DOA. As a second freshening four year-old, her production is significantly higher this season, and if she doesn’t melt too much in the heat and humidity over the summer months, she may well prove to be one of our higher producing does this season.