The Yaks

The Yaks

Peanut picks his nose

Peanut spanking his bucket

The Yak Outback

Peanut

If Peanut were human, you would find him attired in on of those
highly-flammable leisure suits circa 1974 and selling used cars on the
corner lot. He is a born-again practical joker who lives only for the next
laugh. His motto is . . . "If it makes noise, I like it!" Peanut is 5-6 years old,
big, powerful, ferocious-looking but in reality, a harmless comedian. Peanut
never walks anywhere . . . he SWAGGERS! While he did take over as herd
boss last year after a tremendous unexpected growth spurt, his comical
nature precludes taking him overly serious.

There is something magical about Peanut, a quality any man would give a
fortune for. Had I possessed his magic, it sure would have saved a ton of
grief in my life. No matter what Peanut gets himself into, whether it is
tossing his play tires over the fence and rolling them into a burdock patch or
relocating the 75 gallon water trough to the east side pasture on the coldest
night of the year so I have to wait until spring thaw to haul it back . . . no
matter what mischief he gets into, you just can't stay mad at Peanut!!! Why
this is, I just don't know but rest assured I follow him around constantly to
try and unlock his secret.

Peanut was born with a tweaked horn that has finally ironed itself out . . . or
mostly so. It gives him a extra wide horn spread and an oxen-like look to
him. The horns are just now beginning to curl back. He likes to jam them
into the ground and plow up sections of turf . He then tosses the grass
clods 15-20 feet in the air. I think that's his version of wallowing.

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Peanut grazing quietly

Peanut with his (my) rug

Danny-boy

Danny-boy is a no-nonsense, intelligent and straight-forward kind of yak. He is
neutered male 5-6 years old. Danny-boy was one of the 3 original yaks to
come to the Yak Outback along with Peanut and Serena. This year has seen
Danny-boy relinquish his role as herd leader to Peanut however the others still
tend to follow him around rather than Peanut simply because he has more
sense!

His dense coat of thick soft and woolly outer hair contrasts sharply with the
others. Whereas the black and white spotted yak (called Royals) have outer
hair that is soft and long, it is not quite as luxurious as the woolly-textured hair
of Danny-boy. He also sheds more, almost down to the hide, during the
summer months. He is commonly referred to as an "Imperial".

Danny-boy is easy-going but not as likely to come up to a stranger and
demand to be scratched like some of the others. He'll prefer to stand back and
watch. He'll give you a tap with his horns when he wants something or
decides he has had enough scratching. It doesn't hurt but may surprise you.

When there is a yak break-out, and I have had a few, he's the one I put a lead
on and walk home. The others then follow.

Dry those eyes, folks. This
didn't really happen!

Serena

Serena is the ultimate sweetheart. She can steal your heart away in a blink of
an eye. Small as female yak go, she is extremely docile and trusting.
Because of her smaller frame, she was able to squeeze out of the original
fencing and had free access to the entire yard. She always sticks around and
comes home when she wants to. This of course, paved the way for her to
find an open door to the house and ever since make herself at home in the
home! She, like all yak are, is very sure-footed and unlike the dogs, does not
knock things over or chew furniture or exhibit other frustrating house pet
habits. Potty trained? Not! So I do have to keep an eye on her when she is
inside the house. Shoving a 600 lb yak towards the door when they want to
go potty is not easy or fun especially if you are a tad late in hitting the
doorway with her.

Serena loves to be scratched and will sit and soak up the scratching for
hours, shifting positions as needed. This makes harvesting the down and
hair very easy. She is also pretty good about letting me trim her hooves.

Serena has had 2 female calves (Mossy and YoYo) since she has come
aboard and she just might be pregnant again.

Mossy

Mossy was the first yak born to the Yak Outback. She was named because
her hair is as soft as the spring moss. She definitely has the "Peanut" gene
as she likes to dabble in mischief. In fact, Mossy is 3 parts tornado and 2
parts hell-fire and extra chummy . . . a recipe for trouble for sure! Like
Serena, she has run of the yard and generally stays close by. Whenever
there is a project to be done in the yard, of course I'll find her right there to
help. That means at least 20% more time to accomplish the task. She steals
tools, butts hay bales, knocks the water bucket off the holder when I'm trying
to fill it from the pump, and jumps on the bed when she finds access to the
house. Despite her rambunctious nature, I find it quite disarming those
times when she is so affectionate . . . giving kisses, wanting to be
scratched, and she always comes to sit with me when I sit on her porch.
She's just as likely to toss me off the porch but nevertheless she's there with
me. You just never know with her. My best guess is that her comfort zone
pulsates! Watching her eyes is a good way to tell that something is cooking
in her brain that may spell mischief. They get big and I can see white all
around them . . . I call them her "whoopie-pie eyes".

It's not uncommon for her to chase a car that comes through the pass and
into the cleared section where the house is just for the heck of it. She
doesn't do anything, just eyeballs the driver through the rear view mirror.
Gives them the whoopie-pie eye which makes her look plum crazy.

She also loves to go into the woods, especially if I am in there. But, for some
reason, she likes to dump me over in the woods! I can't figure that one out
yet. Oh the stories I could tell about that!!! She lifts one of my legs, shifts her
weight onto me and PLOP! I go over. There's no running away, I just have to
endure.

I recall the day she was born, carrying her into the barn from a birth in the
meadow. I remember thinking that it was one of those magical moments
watching her sleep on the hay. I could see her closed eyes dart back and
forth and wondered with delight just what a newborn baby yak dream would
be like. I still watch her sleep sometimes. And I still see her eyes moving
behind closed eyelids. But now I know she's not really dreaming . . . she's
plotting and scheming! She's my problem child . . . whoopie-pie eyes and
all, and I love her so. She makes the day interesting.

YoYo

YoYo . . . pretty little YoYo . . . Serena's second female calf born to the Yak
Outback is what everyone would want in a pet yak. She's calm, curious,
friendly, playful, and well-behaved even when she wanders into the house.
YoYo was born in the barn on the last day of July 2005. Like Mossy before
her, she would wander off and hide at nap time either in the tall grass or
fringe of the woods for the first 2 weeks of her life. Serena would come and
grunt at me which meant I would have to go with her and help locate YoYo
when it was feeding time. There were times when it took hours to find her. It
appears that young calves do not have a scent for neither the Aussies nor
Serena would be able to find her until we just stumbled across her. As YoYo
put on weight and size, she stopped the hiding routine and would just doze
off in the grass but come when called.

YoYo looks so much like Serena but will probably be larger. She's at the
bottom of the hierarchy here but that doesn't seem to bother her. I always
make special arrangements for feeding and watering her. If she gets kicked
out of one bowl, she knows I'll have another waiting for her or bring her
outside the corral for special treatment. And like Mossy, when she wants in
to the house, she stands on the doorstep and gently knocks at the door. Ah,
YoYo . . . pretty little YoYo . . . this is what yak herding is all about!