April 16, 2020
Silver Yak Calves
By: Bob Hasse
Check out the very first Silver Yaks to be born in North America !!!
As many of you already know, each successive generation of Golden Yaks gets lighter and lighter in color. Our 4th Generation Golden Royals look almost pure white, due to the fact that the Golden color patterns are extremely light, almost white in color. Now we have our first 5th generation Golden yak calves, and they are a gorgeous Silver color.....the first Silver yaks in all of North America.
You may be thinking; how do you get Silver yaks out of Golden color sires and dams? The answer is this:
I have a friend, who is considered to be the premier color geneticist in North America, maybe the world, Dr. Tom Whiting. He works primarily with colorations and color patterns in chickens and their plumage. When he saw my Golden yaks a few years back, he was very interested, not only in their color, but in the fact that each successive generation gets lighter and lighter in color. Tom told me that my Golden yak gene was really not a Golden gene, but rather an Anti-Black gene. And he predicted back then, that at some point on the Golden color progression, I should be getting many other color possibilities, as the normally dominant black gene in these yaks gets completely removed from the genetics in my Golden yak herd, through each successive generation of breeding these awesome Golden yaks.
Tom was right, and we now have the proof !!! We have just started our calving season, and in the last couple of weeks have been blessed with 2 beautiful Silver Trim yak calves. We hope these will be the first of many this calving season.
Check out these photos; and if possible, come visit our pastures to see these awe-inspiring Silver yak calves for yourselves. Share the joy and excitement with us !
Bob, DELYAKS
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