About Us Us (Chuck and Kim) Being in the transportation/civil engineering industry for over 30 years and deciding it was time to take a break from city life, we acquired a near-100 acre ranch in the beautiful and scenic Balcones Canyonland region of the Texas Hill Country in 2006.  Our land, historically used as grazing for cattle and goats, has an agricultural exemption status. To continue the ag exemption, we decided to get into livestock production.  Various types of animals were “auditioned”:  Spanish goats, Angus beef cattle and black buck antelope.   None of these really worked out for various reasons. Continuing our research for relatively self-sustaining and relatively social animals, we looked at yaks.  They sounded promising because of their versatility, adaptiveness, varieties of products and intelligence not to mention they eat one-third of what cattle eat.  Our biggest concern, however, was how would yaks handle the Texas heat.  Our plan was to purchase a couple of animals at first, getting them young and before experiencing a cold northern winter so they wouldn’t have a thick layer of fat and intentionally choosing yaks of the non-super woolly variety. We acquired three 5-month old yaks from Wyoming and a 5-month old bull from Colorado.  The yaks adapted pretty easily to the environment on the ranch – heavily wooded areas providing shade, a year-round creek for cooling water and rocky, rolling terrain for scampering about – so we gradually increased the herd using the same approach as we used for acquiring the original critters, buying young animals from different blood lines for genetic diversity.  Through acquisition and procreation, the herd has grown to over 20 yaks. Also to note: Kim is an award winning gourmet chef featured in magazines throughout the Hill Country area and Chuck is an award winning graphics artist with works displayed in the Huntsville Alabama Museum of Art.

About the Ranch Grunting Ox Ranch is located within the beautiful and scenic Balcones Canyonlands 30 miles north- west of Austin, Texas in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. We have 2 tracts of land totalling nearly 100 acres crossed by Doeskin Branch, a tributary of Cow Creek.  These rugged hills are covered in mesquite, juniper, live oaks, sycamore and Spanish oaks and overlook the spring-fed creek cutting through limestone canyons. When Spanish Explorers first saw these terraced hills, they named this land Balcones. The limestone hills and canyons and spring fed creeks and streams make up most of the Balcones Cayonlands.  Towering live oaks rise above frostweed that flowers in fall, just in time for the monarch butterflies to find the nectar they need for their flight to Mexico.  We enjoy the seasonal highlights and everyday life at the ranch listening to the water crashing over Teresa Falls and watching for birds along the flowing waters of Doeskin Branch. Throughout the year, we walk through waist-high native grasses in the meadow and climb up to the ridgeline through the forest home of the golden cheeked warbler, emerging on a windswept plateau overlooking the ranch.  Besides the yaks, we observe native wildlife in every season - from Wild Texas Blue Bearded turkeys to white-tail deer browsing in meadows and wild hogs rooting in the fields. Most FAQ is:  How do the yaks handle the heat down in Texas? We tried contacting members of the Iyak organization from Texas who raise yaks, in-order to ask about the challenges of raising yaks in warmer climates.  We could not get a reply or call back by anyone, so we had to develop our own little plan.  So far so good. We are having babies and we are having fun! As stated in the About Us section, our plan involves selecting animals that are of the non-super woolly variety. We comb the yaks in the spring to remove the thick under coat; even down here, they produce a lot of wool.  We provide the animals with plenty of shade and water.  If the creek is running low, we put out the lawn sprinkler for them to cool off, if they choose. They are more active in the early morning and late evening on hot summer days and laying up in the shade by the creek during the day.

About Yaks The YAK Yaks (bos grunniens - meaning “Grunting Ox”) are long-haired bovines native throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau, Mongolia and Russia although research shows only a small number of yaks in the wild.  Wild yaks are among the largest sized animals of the bovine species and are predominately black and brown.  Yaks are herd animals with both sexes having long shaggy hair, insulating them from the cold, harsh climates of their native domiciles and both sexes have horns. Domesticated herds are found worldwide.  Yak-related production includes milk, down and wool fiber and hide and the animals also work as draft animals (packing, riding, plowing); the feces can be used as fuel.  It has been determined that production rates are significantly affected by the climate and environmental conditions in which the herd is located.  Domesticated yaks are black, brown, white, gray, tan or a combination and live an average of 25 years.    Yak Colors - In the US, there are typically 5 colors of Yak: Black - Black hair with Grey nose Trim - Black with white spot on forehead and white rear socks and sometimes a white tip on the tail. Imperial - Black Hair with Black nose Royal - Black and White Golden - Light Brown or gold Yak Fiber - Yak fiber is soft and smooth and naturally hypo-allergenic. The down fiber is comparable to cashmere in softness and warmer than merino wool. It exists in several colors, including shades of gray, brown, black and white. The mean length of yak fiber is about 1.2 inches with a fiber fineness of 15-22 microns. It is combed from the yak and then dehaired. Yak Meat - Yak meat is similar in flavor to lean, high quality grass fed beef. It is milder, though, having a cleaner finish on the palate. Yaks develop their fat layer externally, without the marbling found in beef. Yak meat is nutritionally very similar to grass-fed beef and bison. It is higher in moisture content, though, which is why it is so juicy. It is high in Omega 3 “good” fats, low in “bad” fats, and full of nutrients, so smaller portions often feel more satisfying compared to other meats. Yak Milk -  Yak milk is rich in butterfat at around 6% to 11% making it perfect for yogurt, butter, and cheese. Yaks evolved under harsh mountain conditions and are well adapted for winter. Their bags and teats are small, compact and close to the body so they don't freeze. In Tibet, yaks are primarily considered dairy animals. Yak butter tea made from fresh butter is quite good, although very rich.  Close handling is the key; Yak milk cows need to be well socialized and petted. Yaks are very accurate kickers and should be trained for close handling as young calves if they are to be good, docile milk cows. Tibetans will let the calf suckle to get the cow to release her milk before they start milking. Their general attitude is the calf gets half and the herder gets half.

Meet our Yaks

Yak Fiber Yak fiber is soft and smooth and naturally hypo-allergenic. The down fiber is comparable to cashmere in softness and warmer than merino wool. It exists in several colors, including shades of gray, brown, black and white. The mean length of yak fiber is about 1.2 inches with a fiber fineness of 15-22 microns. It is combed from the yak and then dehaired. Hair is an important by-product of the yak. Quantity produced varies with the age and size of the animal, with breed and sex and with the method of harvesting. There are two distinct types of fiber - down fiber and coarse hair - differing in diameter, length, degree of medullation and other properties; there is also an intermediate "mid-type" hair. The proportions of the different types of hair vary on different parts of the yak body. The proportion of down fiber is high in calves and declines as the animal gets older. Down fiber grows as additional protection for the yak over winter and has to be harvested prior to being shed in the early summer. The down fiber is much valued for textiles. Processing of the Fiber Cleaning & Segregation - First, fiber is thoroughly cleaned using biodegradable detergents and then passed through a picker to remove any large clumps of matted fiber. Next, a dehairer removes all the guard hair to Cashmere quality standards. A carder is the next step to align the fibers to be ready for spinning. Finally, the spinning frame turns the fiber into soft, multi ply yarns that are steamed, coned and put into skeins. Clouds - Clouds are the most basic fiber ready for spinning. Cleaned, de-matted and de-haired, the Yak fiber is in soft fluffy clouds of fiber.  The spinner takes the cloud and begins to draw out the fiber into lines that are fed into the spinning wheel. Clouds make a very lofty hand spun yarn. Since the fiber is not carded, the spun yarn may have a springiness or stretch to its final spun form. Rovings - Rovings are further processed fiber that has been carded and drawn into narrow strips to align the fibers. Once the fibers have been aligned, the fiber can be twisted and spun into soft lofty yarn. Yarn - Yarn made from yak down is one of the most luxurious fibers found. Warmer than wool and as soft as cashmere, yak yarn makes wonderful garments and accessories. It is an extremely durable and lightweight fiber that preserves heat in the winter yet breathes for comfort in warmer weather.  Yak yarn is completely odorless, does not shed and maintains warmth, even when wet. The yarn is non-allergenic and non-irritating as it contains no animal oils or residue. It can be hand washed with a gentle detergent. Uses of Yak Fiber Because of its strength and coarse nature, the guard hairs are typically carded and then spun worsted. Using multiple plies the guard hairs are then braided into ropes, halters, and belts or weaved into very durable rugs and bags. The down is very soft and is comparable to cashmere or camel in softness and quality. Once separated from the guard hairs the down is processed into clouds and rovings and spun into yarn for the exotic fiber market. We have Yak Fiber for sale. RAW YAK DOWN: $4.25 per OZ. Free shipping on 4 OZs. or more. Call us at 512-355-21SixtyTwo for availability. We accept checks, money orders and cashiers check. Mail to: Grunting Ox Company 11151 S. RR 1174 Oatmeal, TX 78605

The Grunting Ox What’s new on the Grunting Ox Ranch         Dealing with draught We have been in a draught for the last two years. The creek dried up in 2022 and the summer of 2023 was brutally hot and dry. We put up misting systems in an oak mot with multiple watering tanks. We put out spriklers also, the yaks liked standing right in the sprinklers to cool off. We had a couple of new borns at the begining of August. Cozmo and Big head Todd. Our babies are normally dropped in the fall. It was so hot and dry that we ended up bringing the babies in the house for the air conditioning. Yaks internal temporature regulatory system doesn’t fully develope til they are 3 weeks old and the immune system developes between 4 - 6 weeks of age. So we brought the little ones in the house, covered the floor in the foyer with puppie pads. We took them out with halters 3 times a day to feed with thier mothers. It was quite a chore. Finally, by the 3rd week of Sept. the weather cooled down to more tolerable temps and the babies are back with the moms Moonbeam(Moonie) and Violet. Draught is wanning So with an El Nino condition we are starting to get a little rain. We planted rye and oats, had a couple of weeks of wet weather to get that growing pretty good. We put the yaks on the green grass a couple of days every 10 days and supplement with hay. Finally got enough rain to get the creek flowing here in January.  We rotated the yaks to the back forty acres. They really like it back there because it has the mountain on it. But there is no natural water source in this pasture, We have a water tank in a pen about 200 feet from the creak. To pump water from the creak to the tank we installed a water ram below the water fall. The water ram pumps the water the 200 feet with no electricity. It’s pretty neat! Email us to follow your favorite Yak or the whole herd:  info@gruntingox.com                “Grunt”…..

New Arrivals Born August 7, 2023 and August 9, 2023        Cozmo and Big Head Todd Cozmo is a Imperial Trim Bull born to Dam Moon Beam(Imperial Trim) and Sire Charlemange(Native Black). Todd is a Imperial Bull born to Dam Violet (Native Black) and Sire Glock (Imperial). Email us to follow your favorite Yak or the whole herd:  info@gruntingox.com                “Grunt”…..

Contact Us The ranch is located on Ranch Road 1174 about 7 miles south of Oatmeal, Texas. Address 11151 S. RR 1174 Oatmeal, TX Telephone 512-355-21SixtyTwo If no answer, leave a message.  We are probably out on the ranch. Email - Info@gruntingox.com