My first baby yak!

[yaklady]

Oh boy, a house yak! The cute little fuzz-ball would probably house train real quick if I call it "Veal". If he misses the newspaper, I'll show him the white packages in the freezer. Grandma won't need any stamina!

I did try to check under that cute little tail. Did you know that even the smallest of yaks can haul out and kick an intruder? That's when the "mom-calling" comes into effect, and no more playing with the baby. Mom and Dad come running!

The females in this species is no different than others. I could sell a female for about $500 more than a male. Guess what I'm hoping for!

Kathy

By the way, Johanna, it's supposed to snow tomorrow!

[ClayB]

Hey Grammyak,

I think you should bring the baby yak in the house. The pig needs someone to play with!!

By the way, I think I see a family resemblance, the baby yak has black hair, and it is REALLY short too, all it needs is a pair of glasses and a silly hat!!

[Johanna]

Snow in June is just not right. Tell me why you live there again?

Do yaks shed? The mama yak's coat looks like a buffalo's coat, with long shaggy outer layers. Can you shave a yak and spin the hair into yarn? I don't know if I'd want to eat a yak steak, but a yak sweater would be cool. Especially if it snows all summer long in Colorado.

Johanna

[HorsehairBraider]

Johanna, yaks do shed out a soft downy undercoat in the spring, and then shed out the long guard hairs. If you are lucky you can collect the softer stuff without too much guard hair in it. These fibers were traditionally made into clothing and yurts by the herdsmen who raised the yaks.

They are probably a little too unruly to shear. I used to shear professionally and sheared goats, sheep, alpacas and llamas but was never asked to shear a yak! I am sure I would have said "No way!"

[yaklady]

Clay, the yak and the pig would get along great, except for the fact that the pig would eat all the yak's food! Bacon could teach the little guy about cleanliness, but not manners. Haven't you noticed that my hair is brown, not black like the yak's? Take another look at my profile picture. You're just jealous of my hat. If you want one like it, take a little trip down under. Those are much better hats than the ones you get in Jackson, Wyoming!

Johanna, I live here so the foxes, coyotes, goss hawks and racoons can eat my chickens, and I can play with the grizzly that everyone says doesn't live here, and I can build a fire any time of year to warm up by, and I can get much needed exercise shoveling snow. Snow makes it easier to build the fire, either that or freeze. I can also make friends with the bull elk and humming birds that come to play.

Yaks do shed, mainly in the spring! Go figure. If you look at the adults in the pictures, you'll see brown on their backs. That's the wool that Braider mentioned. Most of the black gaurd hairs stay. Did you happen to pet my dead bull in Fort Worth last fall? That's what they look like all shedded out. Yaks are brushed, not shorn. I need to set up a chute to put them in to get the wool. There's no other way with these guys. They aren't exactly pets. Braider, you would be wise to say no to shearing a yak! I could imangine what you would look like when you were done, all bloody and bashed! Clean yak wool can bring in as much as $16 an ounce. It's very soft and warm. I have a chunk in my car. Want some?

I still recommend the steak. It's tender and juicy and has a fraction of the fat and cholesterol that beef has. Maybe I'll get an ugly baby, or one that's down-right mean and I can name it Veal and put it in the freezer. I need more steaks, I've eaten most of them! Maybe I can get the hide veg-tanned and make yak halters or something.

Grammyak, the youngest grandma you'll ever know

[yaklady]

Snow in June is just not right. Tell me why you live there again?

Johanna

Johanna, do you really want to know why I live here? At this moment, there are seven bull elk hanging out in front of my house. They have been there since I got up. The humming birds buzz around my head when I stand on the deck to watch the elk. That makes it all worth while! It can snow all summer if it wants to, just so long as I have the wildlife to visit with.

Happy with the altitude,

Kathy

[HorsehairBraider]

How's the little yaklet doing? Any hints yet as to gender?

I've heard yak fiber is comparable to quiviut (which comes from the musk oxen, of course, and is outrageously expensive) but I've never tried any. We used to know a fellow in ID that had a yak bull but the bull roamed wild on the guy's 1,000 acres of mountain property and he never got any fiber from him while I knew him. But I'll bet yak fiber would be really great spun up fine and then knitted into a lace shawl! I've heard it is very warm for its weight.

[yaklady]

How's the little yaklet doing? Any hints yet as to gender?

I've heard yak fiber is comparable to quiviut (which comes from the musk oxen, of course, and is outrageously expensive) but I've never tried any. We used to know a fellow in ID that had a yak bull but the bull roamed wild on the guy's 1,000 acres of mountain property and he never got any fiber from him while I knew him. But I'll bet yak fiber would be really great spun up fine and then knitted into a lace shawl! I've heard it is very warm for its weight.

The little yaklet is doing great, but I still don't know what it is! The problem is, they are on my mother's acreage 18 miles away from here. I don't get to see the yaks all that often.

I would believe that the wool is similar to a musk ox. It is very soft and the items I've seen made from it are light and warm, like you say. If I can get a hold of some, I'll send it to you to try out.

I'll keep you informed on the gender when I find out.

[HorsehairBraider]

Does your mother live on or near her acreage where she can see the yaks? If so, ask her to try and notice how the little one urinates (from the center of the belly or out the back...) as long as she is not too proper to notice such things!

I'd love to try yak fiber. I always wanted to try quiviut but did not have the budget for it... and it was not as though I lacked fiber to spin. As a professional shearer I used to have the pick of the cream of the crop.

[yaklady]

Does your mother live on or near her acreage where she can see the yaks? If so, ask her to try and notice how the little one urinates (from the center of the belly or out the back...) as long as she is not too proper to notice such things!

I'd love to try yak fiber. I always wanted to try quiviut but did not have the budget for it... and it was not as though I lacked fiber to spin. As a professional shearer I used to have the pick of the cream of the crop.

The yak pasture is on three sides of my mother's house, so yes, she can se them. I talked to her about that, but so far, she's just not catching it! I need to take a day off and just sit there and watch.

If you PM me with your mailing address, I could send you a handful of yak wool. It ain't much, but you could see what it's like. It's some I picked up out of the pasture.

Kathy