IYAK Health Blog
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Yak butter are obtained from milk through traditional churning technique often at upland pasture The milk are poured into inflated goat skin bag or put into big round pot run by water power and are stirred for an hour to 2 hours The butter or cream are separated from the water milk and the butter are then wrapped it for sale in the Market or consumed it at home Unfortunately, Local people and farmers of Baltistan has given up this tradition and now Yak butter are rarely available in the Market.
Yak meat is lean yet juicy. Steak cuts are best prepared and served rare to medium rare. A little salt and pepper is all that is needed. The juiciness and the fresh, clean flavor don’t require masking with strong spices or marinades. Some cuts are exquisite when braised-- the connective tissue breaks down, and the meat falls apart. The juices produce the most incredibly rich and flavorful broth!
I wanted to share with you another option for fly control in yaks. Last summer we tried something different...garlic. For the past 12 years we have fed our horses and dogs garlic to help fend off flies, fleas, ticks, gnats, mosquitoes and parasites. I have found it to be very successful for these animals and always wanted to try it with the yaks but I was afraid. I talked with several different cattle veterinarians at Colorado State University who assured me that if the yaks will eat the garlic, it won’t hurt them.
Vets see a wide variety of odd things that pets and livestock ingest: shoes, coins, socks, teddy bears, watches, rubber ducks, rocks, lightbulbs, kitchen utensils, pendants, golf balls, and more. “They Ate What?” has become a very popular contest by Veterinary Practice News and as they say: “and after all, who doesn’t love looking at crazy x-rays?”
Like any Saturday morning during calving season, I was tending to my herd of Tibetan Yaks to see if I had any new calves on the ground. We had a healthy large female born 6 weeks prior, very near the expected birthdate, and I was baffled that the other two cows still had not delivered nearly two cycles later. After a few hours outside, I walked back up to the house for lunch and noticed that the clouds behind the mountain where our house sits, looked as if the sun were setting. I went inside and asked my wife to come see the horizon. We walked out on the deck and that is when I realized it was a column of smoke!
Ruminants require a number of minerals for optimal growth and reproduction. Selecting the correct mineral supplement is important for maintaining healthy animals, and optimal growth and reproduction. Minerals not provided by feed can easily and inexpensively supplied with a simple mineral supplement. The rumen is the largest compartment on the mature ruminant. The abomasum is the largest on the immature ruminant,
Are yaks good mothers?
Adult cows normally make good mothers, however; first time mothers need to be watched for the first week or so after the calf is born. Yaks with young calves can be aggressive.
Treats?
There are several different treats than can be offered: Horse cookies, Nutrena Senior grain, or cattle cakes. Even pumpkins, cucumbers and apples if you cut them up. Your yak will often choose their favorite.