Yak Basic Information Sheet

Yak share a common ancestry with Bos Taurus , Bos Indicus and Bison that dates back to between one and five million years ago.  The domestic yak (Bos grunniens), often referred to as the grunting ox developed in the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kashmir), Tajikistan and as far north as Mongolia and Siberia as a result of its direct genetic ancestor, the wild yak (Bos Mutus), inter-breeding with indigenous cattle of the region.

Size: Mature Yak cows typically weight between 500 and 700 pounds and Yak bulls weigh between 900 and 1250 pounds 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, they 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. Yaks should have access to forage with which matches their production stage. Limited information is available on the nutrient requirements of yaks and in Asia beef nutrient requirements are often used for yaks. Yaks will grow and finish well on good forage.

Health Issues: Even though 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.  There are four keys areas of health care that are critical:

·         Trace Minerals: Proper copper, zinc and selenium levels are critical for yak growth, reproduction and overall health.

·         Respiratory: Most yak breeders will vaccinate their yaks annually to prevent respiratory infections (IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV). Yaks seem to be susceptible to pneumonia at any time in the year. Symptoms are the same as in cattle. Normal yak body temperature is 101 degrees Fahrenheit while rectal temperatures greater than 103.5F combined with increased respiration rates, nasal discharge, depression, low intakes, or other factors are indicative of illness.

Be sure to consult your veterinarian annually to maintain a valid patient-client relationship. This is important for treatment recommendations as all antibiotics are now required to have a prescription.

·         Parasites: Depending on the area of the country you are in parasites and flies can not only cause the death of a yak but can bring economic loss due to decreased weight gain, fly strike and disease transmission.  One needs to be aggressive in parasite control. Be sure to rotate your antiparasitic as parasites easily build up resistance.

·         Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD): EHD is a virus often impacting wild ungulates (deer) carried by biting insects that can affect yak. Symptoms may include stiffness in walking, depression, temperature, blisters in the mouth, anorexia. If you hear about deer dying off in your area you need to be vigilant in watching your yaks for any changes. EHD can be deadly for yaks.

·         Observe your yaks daily for behavioral changes.

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.

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. Interestingly, yaks do not seem to mind getting in trailers. A good resource on working with yaks is Dr. Temple Grandin’s animal handling work. Keep in mind yaks use their horns and head early in life to express dominance and establish pecking orders within the herd. Do not rub their heads as calves a s they will see this as a dominance establishment behavior which later in life could get you hurt when that 1000 pound bull comes to rub its head against you. Additionally avoid the use of paddles and other items to tap or hit their heads when working. This triggers  “fight” response and will train them to charge paddles in the future.

Infrastructure: Other than good fences, water sources and quality pasture, one needs a means to handle the yaks safely. Typically this would involve one pens the yaks could be directed to for sorting and an alleyway that leads to squeeze chute which would provide the restraint necessary to do a health examination, give medications/ injections, apply anti-parasitics, trim hooves, comb out fiber and other animal care procedures. Design your pasture system and anima; handling areas so that your yaks can easily move from one area to another.

It is also recommended that there be structures to provide shade from the sun and wind blocks for yaks in the pastures: Especially for mothers with young calves.

Personality: Yaks are smart, curious, will suddenly appear behind you to see what you are doing or somehow instantly be there when a gate is left open. They all have distinct personalities. With steady work, they can be trained as pack animals, halter broken, ridden and become pets. Remember: It may be cute to have a bull calf act like your pet dog but that is the last thing you want when it weights a thousand pounds. If you make a yak a pet it will expect to be your favorite pet and act as such. Most people are injured by their yak which was handled as a pet and that doesn’t distinguish the person as not being a herd mate and may choose to establish dominance. They are big, extremely quick in their movements and easily startled by a sudden motion so one must always be aware of where they are at all times.

Where Is The Money?

            Sale of breeding stock: Yaks are often sold individually or in small ‘starter herd” that may or may not include a bull. As a responsible yak breeder it is important that we sell “the best yaks” as they will be source of genetics for a herd.

            Fiber: Yak fiber is of equal and/or higher quality than cashmere depending on the animal the fiber was collected from. It is becoming a sought-after fiber by spinners and fiber artists. The fiber grows under the outer hairs and provides insulation for yaks in cold weather. Remember the “home” of yaks is at altitudes of 10,000 feet in the Himalaya Mountains. Thirty degrees below zero is a typical winter day for them. Fiber is combed out from the yak, not cut, in the spring-early summer. The longer overcoat of hair is left intact. Left uncombed the coat  will usually fall off but sometimes it will become matted over the entire yak from the neck to the tail and must be removed by clipping to reduce fly strike and heat stress.

            Meat: Yak meat is a deep red meat, not all gamey in flavor, is leaner than bison and as high in protein as bison or grass-fed beef.  Ground yak currently sells for about $12/pound with steak selling between $25 and $45/pound depending on the market. Because there are so few yaks in the United States there are two key issues involved in raising yaks for meat sales:

·         Because there is not an existing market for yak meat as there is for beef, one must develop the market (restaurant, selling at a Farmers Market, direct or internet sales etc.); and,

·         Once a market is established the problem is that demand will exceed supply unless one is careful to develop a sales market which “matches” the meat production.

Tourism: Since yaks can be trained as pack animals and are “designed” for mountainous terrain, they are slowly being used for trekking in the United States. In the Himalayas they have been used by Tibetan nomads for thousands of years to carry supplies and move households to new grazing areas, and for the last one hundred plus years transported climbing gear to high peak base camps for the world’s mountain climbers.

In a very real sense, yaks are for the entrepreneur. The thing about yaks is for those who know their yaks there is a bond which develops.

For more information

1.    “The Yak: Second Edition”   Publication 2003/06: Revised by Gerald Wiener, Han Jianlin, Long Ruijun,

An excellent resource which can be downloaded at no cost.

2.    “Yak: The Cryophilic Species of Baltistan” by Shakoor Ali  Published 2015

                                                       Yak Meat           

If you are not familiar with yak meat, yak meat is deep red meat that is not gamey, subtle differences in taste than beef and was described by Chef Robert Perry of the University of Kentucky as “silky”. It has been described as having the “health benefits” of skinless chicken and salmon.

Just another “red meat”? In a comparison of grassfed premium and choice angus, bison and grassfed yak sirloin by the University of Kentucky all three were very close in protein at 23-24%, yak had more moisture, and in terms of fat the yak sirloin had 1% fat, bison had 2% and the premium and choice angus were at 5-6% fat.

An analysis performed by Certified Laboratories of the Midwest (Report #168765) of randomly selected ground meat from a grass fed yak raised on average quality pastures in Eastern Kentucky yielded the following results:

·         Calories:           231/100 grams

·         Carbohydrate:  2.86%

·         Total Protein:  19.24%

·         Cholesterol:     0.053%

·         Oleic Fatty Acid:   4.92%

·         Linoleic Fatty Acid:  0.2%

·         Linolenic Fatty Acis:  0.11%

·         Total Saturated Fats: 8.89%

·         Total Monounstaurated Fats: 5.7%

·         Total Trans Fats:       0.96%

·         Omega 3:  Alpha-Linoleic (ALA), Total Omega-3:             0.1%

It is important to note that the nutrition values will vary slightly between grass fed yaks due to differences in the environment and forage in which the yaks were raised.

What is clear in terms of grass-fed yaks: Their meat is high in protein and very low in fat. Furthermore it is low in cholesterol, has linoleic and linolenic fatty acids which lower the risk of coronary heart disease and Omega 3 which is used to reduce risk of inflammatory diseases and depression.

The Yak Meat Market

At this point in time with the exception of two large yak meat producers, breeders market their meat through an area Farmer’s Market

(or a store that carries local farm produced produce), private sales, internet sales, or by developing a relationship with a restaurant.

One of the two large yak meat producers supplies a supermarket chain and the second has Pop-up events, supplies five restaurants,

does large pop-up sale events, and through a store which has a high demand product line.

Once the market is established, the problem all breeders face, including the two large producers, is meeting the demand. With less

than 7500 yak in the entire United States there is no natural supply chain to turn to if demand exceeds supply for a producer.

Producers will search for slaughter ready yak to fill their supply need. But there are only so many yak available. Matching actual

supply and expected demand is going to be a critical to the development of an ongoing yak meat business.  

The following are current retail prices being charged by four yak meat producers:

Producer #1:

Ground yak: $12/pound

Chuck Roast:  $26 for a 2 pound roast

Yak Snack Sticks:  $15 for 4oz package

Yak Jerky:  $12 for a 3oz package

Producer #2

Ground yak: $25/pound

Yak Burgers: 3x5.3oz burgers (1lb) $21.00

New York Strip Steak:  $33 for a 10oz steak

Yak Sirloin steaks:  2 8oz steaks for $45

Rib Eye: 11oz for $47

Filet Mignon: 12oz for $55

Producer #3

Ground yak: $12.95/pound

Yak Burgers: 3x5.3oz burgers for $13.19

New York Strip Steak: $17.95 for an 8oz steak

Rib Eye: $18.67 for 8oz

Sirloin Steak: $12.97 for an 8oz steak

Order to sell Tenderloin: $19.97 for 6oz

Yak Stew meat cubes: $10.60 for 8oz

Producer #4

Ground yak:  $15/pound

Ground Sirloin: $15/pound

Yak Stew Meat: $15/pound

Boneless Ribeye: $15 for 0.59lb

Bone on Ribeye: $45 for 1.5lb

Filet Mignon: $13 for 0.29lb

New York Strip Steak: $24 for 1lb

Sirloin Steak:  $14 for 1lb steak

Top Round Roast: $15 per pound

In order to sell yak meat to the public the animal has to be slaughtered at a USDA inspected facility.
The USDA treats yaks as an exotic species, so yaks fall under the USDA’s triangle stamp program. The rules governing this program allow meat from yak/cattle hybrids to be labelled as yak meat as long as the animal is 39% yak. A yak x beef hybrid will have different meat characteristics in terms of texture, taste, amount of fat (and marbling), cholesterol etc. What yak meat producers are doing is to have the slaughter animal’s DNA tested to be able to show the meat is not from a hybrid yak. Others operate a “closed herd system” in which all the yak cows and bulls involved in producing the yaks to be raised for meat have been DNA tested to prove that they are true yaks.

The USYAKS Yak Association has worked with the USDA to develop a “Certified Yak Meat” label which is affixed to the meat packaging at the slaughter facility. This label certifies that the meat bearing this label was from a yak which was genetically tested and was found to be a full blooded yak. Certified yaks for slaughter are required to meet the same rigorous purity standards as registered full-blood yaks.

  The Association wishes to offer a higher standard. Meat products bearing the USYAKS Certified label are meat products from yaks that have been genetically tested, and found not to be hybrids. Certified yaks are required to meet the same rigorous purity standards as registered full-blood yaks.

How to Certify Yak Meat

To participate in the yak meat certification program one must be a member of USYAKS. An online certification form is available on the USYAKS website: usyaks.org as well as membership instructions. Instructions for submitting the yak’s DNA for analysis are found on the website under “Register A Yak”.

Yak Fiber

Yak’s have an insulating undercoat known as down, which is receiving increasing interest in the fiber arts community of knitters, crocheters, spinners and weavers in North America.  Yak down has a micron measurement similar to cashmere, which means that yarn made from this luxury fiber is one of the softest fibers you can find. Yak down is hypoallergenic.  It is also very warm, is breathable fiber and as a fabric is said to aesthetically hang well under its own weight when worn. It is a relatively short fiber but can be spun using “short fiber spinning techniques.” However, most fiber mills will use a yak fiber blend where the second fiber can be silk, merino wool, bamboo or any of the many other fibers available for spinning.

In its description of yak fiber, Oliver Charles Clothing, a producer of yak fiber based garments, states: “Yak wool is very antimicrobial, as sweat is absorbed from the skin's surface it travels outwards where it evaporates. In the process, the yak fibers actively bind and isolate bacteria. This isolation of bacteria reduces odor….And that yak is moisture-wicking: “Wool can absorb and retain up to 35% of its weight in moisture and still feel dry to the touch, which reduces sweat buildup and discourages bacterial growth. Yak fiber is particularly good at this transporting moisture away from the skin 17% faster than pure merino wool.”

Yak down fiber can be sold in its raw form without any processing. Washed, washed and carded into roving, spun with or without the addition of other fibers or as a finished woven product. It can also be felted and used to make pocketbooks, hats and other items. The greater the processing the higher the sale price. Cleaned raw yak fiber can sell for $12 an ounce and a skein (4oz) of a yak-merino sheep fiber blend typically sells for $60-$75. [A number of yak fiber products may be seen at https://www.khunu.com and on Etsy.

Harvesting Yak Fiber

Yak fiber is usually harvested in the spring as the weather warms and the yaks start to “release their down”: You will see it start to “puff up” on their outer hair. In Kentucky, our yaks don’t start releasing their down until late spring and on some it is still attached in mid-summer. Left unattended, some yak will shed all their down. Others will have a few areas on their body where matted clumps of yak will remain hanging. And still others will retain their fiber and it will become a tightly matted covering from head to tail which will increase the risk of fly strike and/or heat stress. [In this situation the matted fiber must be removed.]

Yak down is harvested by combing the yak down out of the fiber: Some down will come out easily, some with some effort, and some will refuse to come out and so one must come back at a later date to complete the combing process when the down has further released. It may take several combing sessions over a number of weeks to remove the majority of the down. All yaks are different: Some will comb out easily in one or two sessions and others will require more time and effort.

Unless trained to be combed without restraint, most yaks will need to be restrained in order to comb out their fiber. A squeeze chute is probably best for this task as a simple head gate will not protect the person combing the fiber from being kicked. Yaks are particularly sensitive as one approached the longer guard hairs at the bottom of their abdomen and will often kick if the guard hairs are pulled. Note: A yak can kick with its rear feet almost perpendicularly to its body – just at knee height – and it is a hard, fast kick that hurts. So, be sure that you are protected from protesting kicks. One type of comb that you need is called a Mat Rake: It is a comb that looks like a small rake. It is about two and a half inches wide with teeth about two to two and a half inches long. The back edge of the teeth – the edge toward the handle – are quite sharp so they can cut through tangled fiber. They typically have a plastic handle and the overall comb is only about eight inches long.

 You will need several of these as they will break over time due to the force you will exert on them if the fiber is matted. You can purchase Mat Rakes at a llama supply store. You can try other combs but the Mat Rake is a necessity. You should also have a strong set of sharp heavy duty scissors to cut through tangles. Some kind of large plastic tub is seful to drop the combed out fiber into as you comb the yak out. The fiber should be stored in a clean breathable bag or storage container. You may want to measure the amount of fiber you are harvesting from your yaks which will require a scale which you can hang a bag containing fiber from. The scale does not have to be able to handle more than several pounds as the average yak will yield between two and three pounds of down fiber per year.

Once you have harvested your yak’s fiber and stored it in a breathable bag or container, it can be sold raw (straight off the animal) or sent to a fiber mill to be washed, carded (which makes it into roving which is sought after by people who spin fiber into yarn) or it can be made into yarn at the mill. At each stage the fiber can be sold.

 Most yarns made with yak fiber are blended with another fiber such as, merino, alpaca, silk, bamboo etc.. Each mill has its own policy on how much blending is required based on the equipment they use. Many mills will only do a 50% yak blend due to the shortness of yak fiber. Some will do up to 80% yak fiber.

Want To Learn About The Quality of your Fiber

Yak Fiber Study

Kat Tylee, owner of Little Hawks Yarns and a fiber judge at the USYAKS Show at the 2020, 2022, and 2023 National Western Stock Show has designed a scientific study of yak fiber. Specifically her goal is to do a four year study (2020-2023) to measure the diameter and obtain a full histogram of the fiber of at least one hundred yaks from the yak herd in the United States. During 2020 she has obtained samples from 23 yaks and as the 2021 combing commences she hopes to get the other 70+ samples.  The study continues during 2022-2023.

Sample Collection: Collect fiber by combing. Fill a snack-sized baggie for each yak you are collecting from. Label each bag so they can be identified with the correct yak listed on the Fiber Testing Form.

If you would like to participate in the study or have your fiber evaluated please complete the Yak Fiber Testing Form and send the form with the collected fiber samples to:

Email: info@littlehawkyarns.com

Call/Text: 458-262-0046

Little Hawk Yarns Website: www.littlehawkyarns.com