In order to investigate the effects of different nutritional regulations on body measurements and gastrointestinal tract development of yaks with growth retardation, twenty 1-year-old Qinghai high plateau yaks with growth retardation [average body weight=(54.24±9.24) kg, which was 1.5-fold standard deviations less than the average weight of yak groups with same age and breed] were randomly selected and assigned into 4 groups. They were slaughter control group, concentrate group (supplemented with concentrate), lick block group (supplemented with concentrate + lick block) and cysteamine group (supplemented with concentrate + cysteamine). In addition, another five 1-year-old Qinghai high plateau yaks with normal growth performance [average body weight = (75.34±2.43) kg] were selected as normal control group (supplemented with concentrate). After 14-day adaptation, yaks in slaughter control group were slaughtered and sampled. After 84 days of formal feeding experiment, yaks in the other groups were slaughtered and sampled. The results showed as follows: 1) no significant differences were obtained in feed intake of concentrate, roughage and dry matter, and nutrient intake among all groups (P>0.05). 2) In contrast with slaughter control group, body measurements of yaks increased to different extents after 84 days feeding. In contrast with normal control group, body height of lick block group and cysteamine group was not significantly different (P>0.05); body length and chest depth of experimental groups were not significantly different (P>0.05), and cysteamine group was slightly higher. 3) Nutritional regulations could promote the growth of stomachus compositus of yaks with growth retardation. In contrast with normal control group, no significant differences were obtained in reticulum and abomasum weight of experimental groups (P>0.05). Cysteamine group had the highest rumen weight, accounting for the maximum percentage in total stomachus compositus weight, and those were not significantly different from normal control group (P>0.05). 4) Nutritional regulations could promote the growth of different intestinal tract segments of yaks with growth retardation. In contrast with normal control group, no significant differences were obtained in the weight of different intestinal tract segments of lick block group and cysteamine group (P>0.05). The results indicate that concentrate supplementation promote the growth of body measurements and gastrointestinal tract, and further supplementation of lick block and cysteamine increase these indexes of yaks with growth retardation and even exceeded yaks with normal growth performance.