Yaklady - Please Tell Us About Yaks!

[Mackay]

Amazing!
I've never heard of anyone having a Yak in the US.
What do you do with them?
What is their nature like?
Do you eat Yak meat?
What conditions do they require to live healthy?

 

[big brown horse]

What do you call a herd of yak/yaks? When you have more than one are they called yak or yaks?

I too find this interesting!


BTW, Yak is great word to use to teach young children phonetic spelling/reading using the letter sound Y. Not many other 3 letter words out there that are phonetically spelled that start with Y.

 

[Yaklady]

LOL! Thanks for the interest. I'm working on getting our website up and running. I'll cut and paste what's going up on the webpage, and that should explain it all. As far as what to call a herd of Yak, though, your guess is as good as mine. Due to trade restrictions, it is nearly impossible to bring more yak into the USA. Those of us who have yak are kind of winging it. There is some general knowledge, of course, but we're learning a lot as we go along. There are about 4,000 yak in the USA right now, and we are one of two yak ranches in Michigan. The other one is located in Traverse City, and they raise what is called Royal Yaks (black and white...usually alot of white). Royals are usually raised for their wool. We raise two breeds, called Imperial and Grey-Nosed-Blacks. These breeds are raised for both wool and meat production. The following cut and paste info will tell you all about yaks. I'll post some pics, too.

Here's the 'About Us' page:
We are Tom and Cayce Kelly. In May of 2009, we began our Yak venture.
Tom was living in a condo on a golf course in a pristine community when we began dating. Although it was quite comfortable, Tom knew that one day he would want to have a bit of land, and maybe some animals. I grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, in a small town where my grandfather owned the local feed store. Lifes journeys had taken me far from country living, but I knew that one day I would want to get back to it.
We bought a puppy shortly after getting married. Shes a Goldendoodle named Macy. Macy started this whole thing by making us realize that we needed something with more of a yard than what the 14th hole provided.
One Sunday we were out for a drive and we found a precious little 100-year-old fieldstone farmhouse that was for sale. It sat on almost ten acres, with a creek running through. It was love at first sight. We were given a copy of a letter that was written by a lady who had grown up here. She moved here with her family in 1919, when she was five years old. In her letter, she talks about how her parents renovated the house and the property, and how the fieldstones were hauled in from the pastures and mounted one by one. Reading that letter made us feel even more drawn to the house. We vowed that we would cherish and care for this home and property just as her family did 100 years ago.
As soon as we purchased the farm, we began to research the types of animals that we wanted to have. With only ten acres, the choices were limited. I wanted something that could possibly pay its own way. That left horses out. Ten acres isnt enough for traditional cattle, so that was out, too. On a hobby farm webpage, I discovered Tibetan Yak. I approached Tom with the idea, and we ran with it. What began as an amusing idea soon became a fascinating reality.
We purchased a herd of eight yaks from a farm in Wisconsin. Shortly after, we purchased another eight from a farm in Idaho. We hope to raise them and market their meat locally. In addition to the yaks, we have Katahdin sheep, chickens of various breeds, some Cayuga ducks and a Pekin duck named Daisy. Only one of our seven children lives with us full time, but all seven are in and out at various times. Our new life brings boundless gifts to each of us, and we are grateful for the opportunity to experience it. Life on the farm is completely different than life on the 14th Hole! We wouldnt trade it for the world.
Tom and I have fallen in love with the idea of self sustained living. We are constantly learning. Our garden was a fun experience this past Summer, and we cant wait to do it bigger and better next time! We love to listen and learn. Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and experiences.

Here's the 'About Yak' page:
Almost every time we speak with someone about our Yak herd, they ask, Why Yaks? There are not very many yaks in the USA. Those of us who raise them are learning as we go along. There are some basic facts, though, that make this animal very desirable to own. Yaks are cattle. They are called Bos Grunniens (grunting ox). As their name suggests, they do not moo-they grunt.
Yaks are mostly raised for meat, wool, and packing/trekking. On our farm, the main use will be for meat production. Yak meat is very tasty, and the health benefits are phenomenal. For detailed information on the benefits of eating yak meat, please see our Yak Meat page.
In addition to providing a healthy, delicious meat, yaks supply us with a high grade wool. Yaks produce two kind of hair. The outer layer is long, strong and waterproof. This hair is used for making ropes, human hair extensions, clown wigs and fly fishing lures. The downy under layer grows in the cooler months and sheds, or molts, in the Spring. Those who wish to harvest this wool simply brush it out. Spinners prize yak wool. Its microfiber count is compared to that of cashmere. It also does not produce static electricity during the spinning process, which makes it easier to manipulate. Yaks beautiful coats make their hides quite marketable, as well.
In Tibet, the local people utilize yaks in virtually every facet of their lives. They are used as a main source of trekking due to their amazing ability to navigate harsh, steep terrain. Yaks are biologically designed to withstand brutal climates and sparse forage. Yak butter is used for many different things. Most of us yak owners here in the USA do not milk our yak. Their teats are very small, and they do not produce very much milk.
Their natural versatility is what makes them so desirable to herd owners. Not only do they provide us with high quality resources, but they do not consume a great deal of resources in the process. Yaks only consume about a third of what a typical beef cow would. This means that we can stock our acreage with three times as many yaks as we would if we had traditional beef cattle! Yaks do not require shelter (in fact they rather dislike it). They much prefer to roam outdoors. Their wool shelters them from the cold, and they really seem to like Winter. As long as there are trees present to offer shelter from the hotter months, and a source of water, they are totally self sufficient.
Add to all those benefits the fact that they are disease and parasite resistant, and why wouldnt one want to own yaks? A yak baby is low birth weight (usually around 25 pounds). Yak cows almost never require assistance during calving. Even though they are tiny, they are born just as hardy as their large parents!
Although Yaks do not require any additional feed or grain, we offer it on occasion as a treat to keep them used to us. They have remarkable individualized personalities, and they are very intelligent. They respond to our calls, and come running with excitement for a treat. Its hard to describe how it feels to watch these majestic creatures running together as a herd, over a hill and through a pasture with their horse tails raised up over their backs-leaping, bucking and playing. Why yaks? When Im watching them I cant think of any reason why we shouldnt have yaks. They truly are amazing!

And here's the 'Yak Meat' page:
Yak meat is sweet, juicy and delicious! Yaks are acclimated to mountainous regions in Tibet, and develop their fat layer on the outside of their meat, just under their skin layer. The fat is not marbleized throughout the meat as it is in traditional beef. Yak meat tastes very much like beef, because yaks are bovine. The difference is that it tastes like extremely lean beef.
In addition, Yak meat has unique percentages of fats. It is high in Omega 3s and CLAs, and low in saturated fats, cholesterol and triglycerides. Yak meat is very low in palmitic acid in comparison to traditional beef. This results in a meat that, although lean, remains very juicy and delicate in texture. There is no gamey taste whatsoever, as in bison and elk.
Studies have shown that yak meat is even better for you than fish or skinless chicken! We are excited to provide a red meat alternative to heart patients. This heart healthy red meat also provides a new opportunity in fine dining to athletes. Anyone who is health conscious, or simply enjoys the taste of a gourmet cut of meat will enjoy yak.
If you are interested in ordering a meat that is rich in body building proteins, minerals and vitamins, contact us for information on availability and pricing.

There are currently only a few thousand yaks in the USA. Due to trade restrictions, it is virtually impossible to bring more in from Tibet. Some beef cattlemen have begun to crossbreed yaks with their existing herd of beef cattle. Studies have shown that the resulting yak/cow cross retains 90% of the characteristics of pure yak meat when finished on grass. First generation yak cross bulls are sterile, with feed efficiencies of 6 pounds of forage, compared to 8-10 pounds of forage for beef steers for one pound of gain. In addition, the crosses also inherit their yak parents weather hardiness and resistance to disease.

 

[Yaklady]

This is me with my little bottle fed baby boy, Bayak Obama.

This is Bayak with his friend, Fricken Chicken

 

[big brown horse]

That is the cutest yak I've ever seen! I always thought they were brown! I love his name!!!!!!

 

[Yaklady]

Raven, our Imperial bull. He's 2 1/2 yrs old

Jessie, our grey-nosed-black bull. Also 2 1/2 yrs old.

From left to right: Zelda nursing her baby boy, Dash, then Baby Keskey, a 6 month old steer, and Larry, a yearling steer who will be the first to be processed for meat this Summer or Fall.

Tina, who is Keskey's mom. She's a 4 yr old Imperial cow. That's Raven next to her.

With the exception of the pictures of Jessie and Bayak, these pictures were taken this morning when I went out to check their watering trough. These are the ones who came up to see what I was doing.

 

[big brown horse]

Very interesting/good info on yaks! Thanks for sharing! They look amazing!

 

[Dace]

Great info and gorgeous animals!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Wow Yaklady, you must have been sent here by that genie who appeared when I rubbed that lamp a week or so ago and said I wanted a yak!

Seriously though, I think they are cool! Oh, Raven is beautiful!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thank you for the detailed yak information. I also enjoyed your pesonal story.

OK, you convinced me, I need a few yak! How much pasture do you need for a pair?