Nubians are known for not being the most consistent breed, but Bella didn't follow that and produced an extremely consistent herd for us as our foundation doe. Backing up to where our herd started, it was with a Nubian doe from a backyard, 4-H herd who was not a notable doe. With a pendulous udder, poor body capacity and high hips she was not the ideal first doe to start a 4-H project but we didn't know any better. Our first year breeding her, we were still very new and used the local buck that was close by and inexpensive. Bellatrix was the product of that breeding! 

She may of been a "plain Jane" and not a fan of the show ring, but she's the kind of goat that held together structurally to nearly ten years old when she passed. Most of her show career was in unsanctioned, 4-H shows while I was a 4-Her but she had a few ADGA wins, placed 20th in a very large, competitive class of 5-6 year olds at the 2016 ADGA National Show and had produced a legacy through her daughters, granddaughters and so on. 

Her oldest daughters Wysteria and Mystique were two of the most notable for Wysteria's show career, and the fact that both of them have been phenomenal brood does. Wysteria will always be one of the most structurally correct goats I've bred, and now being nine while I write this, she has held up beautifully into maturity just as her dam did. Her younger sisters Imperatrix Mundi and Bellona were both lost too young but have produced their own lines from Bellatrix we are still finding success with. Bellatrix's youngest daughter Delphini is a special cross with our first Nubian herd sire +*B SGCH Redwood Hills Atlas Drakon who has also some notable things for our herd in his lifetime. We look forward to seeing what these genetics will do for us in the future! 

Bellatrix will be so missed, but we can enjoy the herd she build for us during her lifetime!