2LearnBos grunniens
Yak
The domestic yak is a long-haired bovine of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, kept for milk, meat, fibre and hides and as a pack animal. It is built for cold, thin air and copes poorly with heat. Its fine undercoat is valued as a soft fibre.
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Meat
- Dairy
- Fibre
- Draught work
- Temperament
- Calm in a familiar herd; wary of strangers
- Mature weight
- 200–580 kg
- Gestation
- 258 days
- Forage
- Thrive on rough grazing and need good hay in winter, with clean water and minerals. They eat less than cattle of the same size.
- Housing
- Very cold-hardy, so a windbreak and strong fencing are enough in most winters. They need shade and suffer in hot, humid summers.
- Good to know
- Yaks are adapted to high altitude and cold and do badly in heat. Their soft undercoat sheds in spring and can be combed out for fibre. They are herd animals and should be kept with companions.
Breeds
Yak breeds
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