| Yaks |
| Yaks are native to the Himalayan Mountains of Asia, so they thrive in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Yaks are well suited to high altitudes, cold climates and harsh conditions. They have graceful horns and humped shoulders, with long shaggy hair. Yaks can be used for meat, dairy, fiber (felted & spun), leather and they can pack about 300 pounds. |
| Yaks have a lower metabolism than cattle and they are smaller than most breeds which allows them to survive on a percentage of the winter feed most cattle require. Keeping yaks requires fencing and handling facilities similar to cattle. They do jump fences when stressed or in new places. No permits are needed to own them, and they qualify for tax advantages and agricultural status like other livestock. The only sound they make is a soft grunting. Hand raised yaks are friendly and social, yaks born and raised without much human interaction are more wild. Common sense should be used when working around any large animal with large horns. Accidents can happen even with the sweetest yaks. |
` They are protective mothers and easily give birth to 25-35 pound calves in 8 1/2 months. Cows (females) weigh between 500-800 pounds, while bulls weigh 1200-1500 pounds. They can be expected to live 20-25 years. |
| They are double-coated animals with a longer outer coat and a soft downy undercoat, that when brushed out can easily be spun and is the quality of fine cashmere. Their long skirt, that nearly drags the ground, can be braided like horse hair. When they are happy or excited, they run and jump with their tails held high over their backs. They have several colors patterns: black (Imperial), black and white (Royal) and Brown (Golden). We prefer black yaks since they are closer looking to their Asian cousins. |
| Meet our |
| Windkist Ranch Dennis & Elaine Kist PO Box 250 Hartsel, CO 80449 (719) 839-5817 |
| The real magic of these wonderful treasures, is their meat. We never feed them corn, which would raise the saturated fat found in the meat. We never use steroids, growth hormones or antibiotics. They thrive and finish on our natural grass pastures. Numerous meat studies have proven that grass fed and grass finished meat is the healthiest meat. Yak carry their fat on the outside of their body as insulation, and it is discarded at slaughter. Real yak meat has no visible marbling. It is a deep, dark red, rich looking meat. Any fat or connective tissue, such as in a roast, will not taste like beef. While the Internet has made purchasing many items, including yak meat and fiber easy. It also demands that consumers be trusting of the producer and supplier to deliver the product advertised, properly labeled and priced. We strive to produce the highest quality and consistently pure yak meat and fiber. Yak products are no exception when it comes to the old adage: Buyer Beware! Know you producer. Know what they have in their pasture..Know who they buy meat from. We have met most of our customers at Farmer's Markets, through this site,or from visitors to our ranch store. We only sell locally and want to know our customers. Everyone of you are invited to our ranch to shop and visit. See you soon. |