Yak *Herd Pics pg 5*

[Nathan Sampson]

It is easier to pull teeth thhan to get one of my does to stand still to be milked need to woork with thwm on that. I do finnd it humorous that I find this thread todayy since I wikid yaks last night.

 

[Extra Java]

I know...Yaks haha

Anyway, ever try a hobble?

I use a hobble and a bungee cord attached to the milk stand...especially on the yearling/kicky milkers until they settle down and don't need it anymore. Had one doe that took a year to train...others take about a week.

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Never thought about the hobble. One thing with them though is they hate the whole getting caught thing.

 

[Extra Java]

Yes, they hate being restrained and push into a push rather than going with the flow. This is part of the reason behind lead training them etc. at an earlier age for packing or anything else. What breed(s) do you work with? Some are more difficult on the milk stand.

 

[Henny peeny]

excuse me here please

what do you have yaks for? do they stink? have a mucky small do they small like cows ? do you milk them? use their fur for making things like sheep? do you eat them? what do they taste like not being rude here I never been around one or a heard be a lot of fun I think what do they eat do they eat the same as cows is there anything you have to watch for like cherry eye or hip problems foot problems? how big do they get how much weight? how many can they have one two or 3 maybe, do they have one male to many female?

Sorry so many interesting animal.

Rhayden

 

[skywards]

excuse me here please

what do you have yaks for? do they stink? have a mucky small do they small like cows ? do you milk them? use their fur for making things like sheep? do you eat them? what do they taste like not being rude here I never been around one or a heard be a lot of fun I think what do they eat do they eat the same as cows is there anything you have to watch for like cherry eye or hip problems foot problems? how big do they get how much weight? how many can they have one two or 3 maybe, do they have one male to many female?

Sorry so many interesting animal.

Rhayden

I'm also super curious to find out all of that! I've always had cows, but yaks just seem so neat.

 

[9gerianMile]

Love it!! I watch anything Tibetan that I can, given the TM is the love of my life!!

Hey! Gorgeous dogs! I have an Anatolian/Pyr LGD. I looked into TM, but couldn't find a breeder I could actually visit to check facilities, animals, etc. Do you breed?

excuse me here please

what do you have yaks for? do they stink? have a mucky small do they small like cows ? do you milk them? use their fur for making things like sheep? do you eat them? what do they taste like not being rude here I never been around one or a heard be a lot of fun I think what do they eat do they eat the same as cows is there anything you have to watch for like cherry eye or hip problems foot problems? how big do they get how much weight? how many can they have one two or 3 maybe, do they have one male to many female?

Sorry so many interesting animal.

Rhayden

Hi Rhayden,

I'm really sorry! I didn't know this thread had popped back up, apparently I didn't subscribe! I'll answer your questions concerning Bos grunniens the domestic yak. Answers are different for Bos mutus, the wild yaks of Asia.

Okay We use the yaks right now for fiber- the down they blow (like a dog) in the spring. No shearing or cutting, the longer, tougher guard hairs stay on and we just comb out the soft under coat from winter. They have a short staple length, and the down is similar to Cashmere. It is often spun with other, longer fibers to make a more stable yarn material (why I have Icelandic sheep now). We will use calves to pack with us and also for terminal (meat, hide, skull, horn) uses. I will retain one of the heifers to be a milker, and we will sell calves out of this starter herd for meat and pet/pack animals.

They themselves do not stink. If they are confined, their excrement can get a little icky, though. But that's not unique to the yaks I have a Highland Cow, she has more of a scent to her than the yaks do. The bull does not go into rutt like my goats in the past or my ram now, which is nice! The yak cows cycle similar to 'normal' Bos taurus cows, but they are much more subtle about it. No discharge/show, no flagging, etc.

Yes, we will eat them. Not rude at all! They are a lot like bison, except they are more sweet, far less gamey, and the meat more resembles elk when cut due to the high elevation of their natural habitat, they have a more red look to their meat, even burger. It's a very wonderful meat, and when you process in the middle of winter, you also get a great hair-on hide for rugs, blankets, etc. The skull and horns also have value, as do the tails on their own.

They eat grass. They do not appreciate or require any grain of any kind to maintain condition, so I don't waste it on them. They also browse. They will eat pine needles (they clear our cut pine trees in about a day or two, which is great!), they will also eat brush leaves. They aren't as good as sheep for clearing weeds, but in tandem, I've found that they work quite well together for land management.

I have not heard of any cherry eye problems from any other breeders of royals (the piebald color). That's the only time you really get the white/pink skin around the eye that typically makes Bos taurus cattle susceptible to eye problems. Hip problems, not in my experience. These animals are highly disease resistant, and are akin to goats in their ability to scale steep climbs of land.

They are SLOW growing/maturing, and are able to breed at age 3 for bulls, and 2 for heifers. They do not stop growing until age 8 or so, and they do eat about 1/2 of an equivalent sized Bos taurus animal, but they grow as fast as they eat, so the gains on the Bos taurus is faster. The bulls get around 1500+ lbs when grown, and cows get to 800+ lbs. They have short legs, and all have the characteristic hump. Though the hump on the bulls are much more impressive than the cows.

If you mean how many do they birth at a time, singles are normal, with a few pairs of twins reported. Best to just count on single births, though! If you mean how many per acre, it depends on the forage quality, and if you mean how many should be in the smallest herd, I can't answer that. Some people just have one, but they know they are not Bos taurus so it's not fair to expect a yak to take to a herd of cattle unless it was raised with them from the beginning. I have 5 heifers, one bull, and a Highland cow in my herd. The Highland is the odd-girl-out, but she does fine as she's larger than everyone except the bull. She's even learning to run with them when they throw their tails up and run around because they're excited. It's cute to watch. I have a video here from April before she learned how to play along:

One bull will cover as many cows as he can, an experienced bull will make short work of it. My bull is just now 3, so he's still working on his technique. My two older heifers are now bred, I believe. Once bred, they still exhibit what other yak breeders have come to call a "false heat" for one day a month along their normal schedule for the first few months. It's very strange, but they do not stand. They just drive the bull crazy for 24 or so hours, then it's over, as opposed to real heat, which typically lasts 72 hours.




I'm subscribed now, so please feel free to ask any other questions you might have, and I will do my best to answer them I'll get a picture of them today. It's snowing now (their favorite time of year).

 

[Henny peeny]

Yeah they run like bison A LOT like them. I didn't see them come up to you are they friendly like to get a scratch. they ar smaller then I thought to, Do you have to watch the bull if you are in heat ( Best I can discribe it) I heard that if you are not to go near beast of this or they may want to be bred with you. O know for myself Horse act up some if you are and I never rode while Actually it is sick very messy, but do you have concern while ...... How much do one of these cost is is different if bull or cow (baby too if it matters) I know a hieffer is a female cow under a year old I think I was told not yet able to breed but a young bull do they have a name also or are they a bull to.

Rhayden

 

[9gerianMile]

Yaks are the bison of Asia, so that makes sense Mine all came from bigger herds and they do come up to check us out and get head scratches, but it's on their terms and depends on the day. My one big black one is a bottle-raised girl, and she thinks she's people. Barbie, the blonde Scottish Highland cow is very friendly and I milk her in the field. She now runs with the yaks, but that video was when she was new here and didn't know what was going on.

In the US, yaks are smaller than the wild yaks of Asia. They are actually separate species. Bos grunniens is the domesticated yak which at some point goes back to a hybrid cow between a wild yak and a "yellow cow" which is the common milking Bos taurus breed in Asia. Bos mutus are the wild yaks. Those get to be rather huge! I wish I could get one of those bad boys, but they are protected and no longer exported from Tibet.

In Tibet, males are "gyag" which is where we get "yak" from. Females are called "dri" but in the US, we call the males yak bulls and the females yak cows. I worked with a woman from Bhutan, and she was very confused when I told her I own 6 yaks. She looked shocked and said "No girls???" and I corrected myself and said "OH no, 1 yak, 5 dri" and she understood

Different coat types (wooly, normal, thin) and color patterns affect pricing as well as lineage, registered/not, etc. Just like any livestock. Mine ranged from $800 (meat quality, tiny heifer) to $2000 depending on which one $1000 is average for a weanling who is friendly, but not trained at all. 2-3000 is typical for halter trained packing yaks. Woolies are also up there.

My heifers are simply females who have not calved. They are all 2+ years.

 

[Henny peeny]

A... can you put anything other animal in with them or are they only their kind BOVINE or do they get along with goats or horses? or donkeys. I have people across from us and I have seen other people who have horse they have donkeys with them the donkeys keep the cyotes away and the goats that are with them are friends I have heard races horse having goats with them to be friends with they are hearding animals they say and need someone to look at. Do your animals need this to if not of their kind will they accept (IF NOT RAISED WITH) other kind of animals.

You say you milk your one what is it like cows milk Hostien I seemostly but Jesey cows are used to not a lot I know of this but just a little, I bet the dri (?) milk is rich and creamy and just so so good in coffee or just as is. Have you milkd a dairy cow before? if so do they feel different their teets? I have seen people on TV ride Bison and cows with a saddle do you think they are able to be rode be neat to huh? what kind of treats do you feed them apples carrots ??? my goats I had didn't like carrots but apples were good they didn't eat things like the other goats they I think thought they were people my patunia only knew me but my Daisy came from a heard. I had hoped Patunia would of learned from Daisy but no.

How old do they live my goats were 13 and 9, any preditors you have to watch for? we have the wild dogs once tame but they run so long on their own they become wild we have cyotes to. I love to birth one if them you have I have bithed a lot of animals.

Sorry running out of things to say or ask.

Rhayden