Yak *Herd Pics pg 5*

[Illia]

There's a thread on yaks and no one even told me?

Here's mine, a bull named Djimon from beginning until now. Wish I had a royal heifer for him, but it is SO hard to find ones close enough by. . . The guy we got this one from still hasn't had a new calf since he was born, which was a year ago.

He is halter broke, I've been putting small saddles and weights on him, taking him on hiking trips, etc. I just wish I could get him to learn about horn boundaries. Ugh. Cattle are pretty good about it for some reason, but him? Nope.

 

[lasergrl]

Thats why I want to bisbud one if i get one. That and the hay feeders ect. My highland does fine without horns. No predators here, amish are good about shooting anything with canine teeth.

 

[Illia]

Psshh, I think that's like de-clawing a cat. . . I think all it takes is knowing and understanding how to deal with Yaks. They are indeed a new animal for me. I want him to keep his horns, as I want a majestic, strong looking bull as well as for him to prove a VERY useful flock guardian.

 

[YakLady]

The way most yakkers feel about that is that it would be a sacrilege to disbud a yak. Yaks have so much more personality than traditional cattle, and they are very proud. I have a bottle fed little guy (although not so little anymore), and he has a tendancy to push me around a bit with his horns. He never hurts me, though. Every time he does it, I grab his nose or one of his horns and tell him "No!". He quickly backs off. Every time he has done it, it has been because he is looking for a treat. He's a big boy now-he'll be two in March. I rarely bring him treats anymore, because I do not want to encourage him to be in my personal space. He keeps his distance and I keep mine. If he happens to be standing by a fence, I'll reach through the fence to pet him. If you just take time to get to know each yak's personality and use a lot of common sense, the horns are not an issue.

 

[Illia]

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Sounds a lot like mine. He's never hurt me or anyone with his horns, he's just clumsy about where he moves his head around, so I usually tap him on the nose or horns, and he instantly jumps back. I've also learned to stop giving him any form of treats - HUGE invasion of privacy there!! He gets so careless and so pushy about treats. Otherwise yes, he's very good and very mellow.

 

[bagendhens]

how much space do yak need? and could they be pastured with other animals? say goats or alpaca? i think they are beautiful and hear great things about their fiber, and i think they are beautiful animals.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

when you say your putting saddle on him does that mean your trying to break him to be ridden that would be really cool to be able to ride a yak !
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[9gerianMile]

Cayce,

Thanks for all the info! I have a small herd of goats and I have lines from all over the country. I'm not in the game of inbreeding anything, so the yaks will be no different.

We just bought a 4 horse trailer yesterday, and we will be picking up our bull on the 17th due to some weather and him needing to be trained a little more in confined spaces. We want him to feel as comfortable as possible transitioning into and out of the trailer.

We will have him alone, surrounding the doe(goat) pen until we can FIND some cows/heifers. I have emails out to all IYAK registered MT ranches and I've only heard from Springbrook. They were very nice, but we want to have the big pen done before we get 3 or more all at once.

We have 4 foot woven field fence. The goats have been unable as of yet to get out (save for the two bottle babies who have graduated to the barn- that's a size issue, not skill). Do you think we'll need a hot wire to run up top? He is 1 1/2 years old and about 600 lbs.

As for our goals for our micro herd (literally 4 adults tops, we only have 10+ acres)- I want temperament above all else. I want to have (within reason) reliable trail companions for our big hikes into back country in the spring/summers. I have halter broken bull calves and grown cows for show, I'll be implementing similar techniques until I hear otherwise. The bull is bringing some good color, and I will only halter break him enough to lead, load, and tie graze (when/if necessary). The calves we keep back will be where I start packing training. It will take a while, but I've got time

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I'm keeping my goats separate until I can see that they can be trusted with them... I'm assuming not, since my goats weigh 60ish lbs a piece and the yaks are exponentially larger. They will share a fence line, nothing more for now. I also think they are beautiful and look forward to using their fiber

 

[YakLady]

9, you're right... it's all about time. If you take the time, you'll end up with exactly what you're looking for. Be sure to take pictures and share with other yakkers! I love seeing the different kinds of breeding going on. I just love these animals, and it's fascinating to see the different varieties. Since we raise ours for meat, the main goal in our program will be to shoot for big animals. Temperament will be the next on the priority list, and then looks will come into play. I already have preferences on how I would like for my animals to look... i.e. big, broad backs, glossy hair, boxy head rather than long and horsey, etc. But that's just my personal preference. Everyone has their own, and I love seeing all the differences.

About the 4' fence, it should be ok. You might need to run a line of firewire on top eventually. Springbrook... that's the Steiner ranch, right? They're so nice. I saw them and their yaks at the stock show. I really enjoyed visiting with them-very cool people. They had a gorgeous woolly bull named Raven in one pen. Beautiful animal!

In regard to raising them with other animals... we've had people who have bought our young yaks to raise with sheep for protection purposes. Yaks are fiercely protective and will kill coyotes and other predators. The people who have raised yaks with sheep have not had any problem at all. One gentleman has his yaks out with sheep, llamas and a guard dog. All get along fine.

I have sheep, but most of our yaks arrived full grown. I kept everyone separate for the most part, because I didn't know what would happen. There were a couple of instances when lambs would get into the yak area and got chased. Then there have been a couple of times when all of the sheep got into the yak area and the yaks acted as if they just didn't give a crud. I've had chickens that jump on yaks' backs when they're sleeping. My ducks will walk in parade style right in front of the yaks without getting hurt. I think for the most part it would work out fine. You would just have to be aware of their moods. When they're hot in late Summer, for instance, they're pretty cranky. If I were a duck i wouldn't want to walk in front of an overheated yak.

 

[Illia]

Goats and Yak living together peacefully

Can't wait to actually have a breeding pair or trio or so around though. . . Little bull is quite likely very lonely.