# Hi, there!  New here.  Some pics of my  new herd...



## YakLady (Jul 8, 2009)

I guess I belong in the 'cattle' category, so I wanted to introduce myself (and my herd of Tibetan Yak).  I look forward to chatting with you all!

















Thanks,
Cayce


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## wynedot55 (Jul 8, 2009)

you have a nice herd of yak.they seem tobe super gentle as well.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 8, 2009)

to the herd. 

They sure look to be a bunch of sweethearts!


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## TxMom (Jul 8, 2009)

from TX.

Awesome herd


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## YakLady (Jul 8, 2009)

Thanks, y'all.  Don't let their docile moment fool you.  LOL!  Believe me, I was taking advantage of the fact that they were too hot and too full to move.  It was late afternoon, and they were just lying there, chewing their cud.  My 'big brother' and I inched forward on our knees until we got that close.  It was very cool.  

I have a 3 mo old (Bayak Obama) who I am bottle feeding, so of course he's very tame.  The two heifers in the picture are also pretty tame, although they've gotten a bit skittish since being introduced to a herd.  They were bottle fed and halter broken by 4-H girls in Wisconsin who lived on a dairy farm.  Unfortunately, they had the heifers cooped up in a stall until we bought them.  Yaks are not meant to be indoor creatures, so the heifers were not the happiest.  As soon as we bought them and introduced them to the herd, I think they decided to make sure no human would get close enough to put them back in a stall. LOL!  They don't attack, just run away.

Our two bulls, Jesse and Raven, are 2 yrs old.  They are actually quite sweet so far, and the worst they've done is to shake their horns at us.  They, too, just get up and walk away.  The 4 yr old cow, Tina, has a 1 month old baby (Keskey).  She's the one we have to watch out for.  She's also the boss of the herd (including the bulls), and if she's upset, they're all upset.

They really are beautiful creatures, and I feel blessed to have them.  Hello, btw, to you fellow Texans!  I was born in San Antonio, grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and moved to Dallas when I was 18.  I lived there until 4 years ago, when I met the love of my life in Michigan.  So now I'm a Michigander.  I still shout out "Hook 'Em Horns" every chance I get, though.


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## WildRoseBeef (Jul 8, 2009)

How big are those ones in the pics? And how big do they get when they mature?

 btw


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## Thewife (Jul 8, 2009)

to the herd!

A friend had a yak, it was cool!
Until it tried to kill her jersey calves, she don't have it any more!


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## YakLady (Jul 8, 2009)

Hi, Wild Rose.

The two on the left side of the picture are both two year old bulls.  They probably weigh in at about 1200 lbs.  The one in the middle that is looking at the camera is Tina, the 4 yr old cow.  She's probably about 900 lbs. The babies are low birth-weight, which is one reason why they are desirable.  Babies are usually 25-30 lbs at birth, and almost never have to be pulled.

The meat is naturally lean, as their fat layer develops on the outside, rather than marbleizing in the meat itself.  It is naturally low in bad cholesterol, and a study made by Texas A&M showed that cholesterol levels fell in people who ate yak rather than beef.  It tastes just like beef, except more delicate in texture, and much more lean.

Yak have two layers of hair.  The outer layer is waterproof, and it is used to make fly fishing lures, human hair extensions and wigs (namely clown wigs).  The under-layer is shed every Spring through a molting process.  Yak owners brush the animals at the first sign of molt.  The fiber is sold to spinners, who compare it to cashmere.

Yak are also disease resistant, and they only consume 1/3 of what regular beef cattle eat.  They are mostly content just to forage.  In the Winter they are satisfied with hay.  We give ours cracked corn as a treat, but they do not physically require it.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks,
Cayce


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## LavacaW (Jul 9, 2009)

The bad girl in me wants to yell "Gig "em"  But I'll settle for 
Awesome looking animals though.


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## laughingllama75 (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey, pretty cool! I have a friend who had one as a "pet" along with other farm animals. He was a bottle fed steer, who ended up in the freezer because he was too obnoxious. Delicious though. LOL.
Thanks so much for sharing- we now have Yak owners on BYH, way cool!


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## MReit (Jul 10, 2009)

Very cool, and thanks for the info. Its always nice to learn about different breeds. Wow 30lb birth weight, no wonder they have easy calving! Very good looking herd :


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