Yak Basic Information Sheet
The domestic yak (Bos grunniens), often referred to as the grunting ox. Yak share a common ancestry with Bos Taurus , Bos Indicus and Bison that dates back to between one and five million years ago.
Personality: Yaks are smart, curious, and very athletic. They all have distinct personalities. They are a multipurpose species used for fiber, milking, meat, breeding stock and beasts of burden. With steady work, they can be trained as pack animals, halter broken, ridden and become pets.
Size: Mature Yak cows typically weight between 500 and 700 pounds and Yak bulls typically weigh between 900 and 1250 pounds with some weighing as much as 1700 in the United States.
Longevity: Yaks will live over twenty years with proper nutrition. Yak cows are known to give birth at over twenty years of age. Both cows and bulls do not reach their full size until about six years of age. However, heifers can reach puberty around one year of age. It is not recommended to breed them until at least two years of age. Yaks are reproductively mature by three years of age.
Reproduction: With proper nutrition yak cows will produce a calf annually. Gestation is eight and one-half months (approx.. 253 days) and calves typically weigh between 25 and 40 pounds resulting in calving ease. A bull can breed year round however, as in beef bulls, semen quality decreases in periods of extended high temperatures. Estrus in yaks lasts 12 hours and females may not exhibit much in the way of outward signs.
Cross-Breeding: Yaks have been crossed with numerous cattle breeds with success. However, in general a yak bull will not breed outside its species. Outside of using artificial insemination people have raised yak bulls with the breed they are seeking to cross. In this case the yak bull will often breed the non-yak cow. Breeding a non-yak bull to a yak cow is dangerous due to the smaller reproductive tract of yak cows. Dystocia or the ability of the calf to pass through the birthing canal will be at an increased risk in yak hybrids involving non-yak bulls.
Nutrition: There have been numerous false claims that yaks eat as little forage as 1% of their body weight per day as compare to beef cattle which consume up to 3%of their body weight in dry matter. Recent studies being conducted under a USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and education Grant by the University of Kentucky show yaks consuming roughly 2.5-3% of their body weight in forage on a daily basis. A Yaks feed requirement will change depending on their production stage (ie third trimester pregnant cow, lactating cow, breeding mature bull, weaning calf, etc.).
General Health: Click the basic vet health button to take you to the health page. Although yak are a separate species than beef cattle they share most common health issues. Yak are very stoic and do not significantly display illness until they are very ill. As such it is important to “know your yaks” by observing them daily so that you are able to detect behavioral changes and intervene at that point. [Note: Yaks will often grind their teeth when they bare threatened or ill.] The best health rule is that a change of behavior should be immediately investigated.
Note: When a yak is isolated, “cornered” or startled it sees everything other than another yak as a predator. In working with yaks, you always need an escape route. Never corner a yak. Always provide a way for the yak to move away from you. Also, avoid working a single animal by itself. Keep a second yak or a small group together whenever possible.
Fencing: Fencing for yaks is similar to fencing for cattle. A fence that is 4-5 feet high will often deter jumping. Fence may be woven wire or multiple strands of barbed wire. If using high-tensile smoot wire, multiple strands combined with a few which are electrified will usually be adequate. Yaks can jump and sometimes you will find an animal that can easily clear a five-foot-tall fence. The thing to remember is that they jump for a reason: There is something they want to get to. The solution is to move the source of desire “out of sense range”. Yaks on opposite sides of the same fence can be destructive as they will “play” with each other through it. One approach is to keep an empty pasture between yak groupings: Especially cows which could be in heat and bulls. Using a single strand of electric fence with offset insulators will reduce fence damage from yaks. Yaks have incredibly strong necks and can lift entire fences out of ground or make a pretzel of lighter weight steel tube metal gates so purchasing heavier gauge metal gates will increase their longevity. They are herd animals so if one does get out it will usually stay near the herd.
Infrastructure: Other than good fences, water sources and quality pasture, handling facilities are important for person and yak safety. Handling facilities are made up of a pen(s) for sorting and isolating, an alleyway that animals can be held in or lead to a squeeze chute to provide the restraint necessary to do a health examination. These facilities are important for giving medications/injections, apply anti-parasitics, trim hooves, comb out fiber and other animal care procedures. Design your pasture system and animal handling areas so that your yaks can easily move from one area to another. Be sure to provide some type of shade from the sun and wind. Especially for mothers with young calves. Click the handling facilities button to see some examples of facilities and chutes.