Acreage Needed for Yaks

If you don't have many acres of land, but want to purchase livestock that will produce food and other resources, look into yaks. Tibetan yaks offer alternatives to cows and other cattle in terms of meat, leather, milk and exotic pets. Yaks are quiet animals and much cheaper to keep. They can be housed on fewer acres of land and can be used to show and to pack goods up into the mountains.

  1. Yaks Compared to Other Cattle

    • Yaks, originating from Tibet, require less than one acre per animal. Between two and four yaks can be put on an acre of land. Cattle require about four times as many acres as yaks. Operating and feed costs for yaks can run as much as 25 to 50 percent lower than other traditional cattle, and 10 percent higher prices can be gained on yak products like meat, hide, wool and offspring.

    Yak Housing

    • In most states, yaks do not require special permits or licenses. House the yaks in standard cattle facilities with a four-strand barbed wire fence. Yaks don't need shelter, and seem to prefer the outdoors. The yaks' thick wool protects them from the elements. A few trees to offer shelter in hot months and water are all that are needed.

    Yak Facts

    • Yaks can be trained and used for packing and trekking. Adult yaks can carry up to 300 lbs., even through rocky terrain. They are more sure-footed than mules. Yaks are also quiet animals and easily confined in a corral. Domesticated yaks come in five different types: Black, Imperial, Trim, Royal and Golden. Black and Trim yaks are most common. They are cheaper and usually used for meat. Golden yaks are rarest and most expensive. Gestation for babies is eight and a half months. The babies get up in mere minutes.

    Yak History

    • The "bos mutus," the wild yak, can be found in the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet at 14,000 feet. The wild yak can't live below 12,000 feet elevation. The wild animals breed with other cattle breeds to become the domesticated yaks (bos grunniens) used in the United States. The Tibetans domesticated the yak thousands of years ago to carry loads and to supply people with meat, milk, butter, fiber, leather and fuel.