Evaluating the impact of housing modifications on milk infrared spectra as indicators of dairy cow welfare status.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to explore whether milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectral patterns could reflect physiological responses to improved housing conditions aimed at enhancing dairy cow comfort and ease of movement. Three controlled animal trials were conducted to test the effects of housing modifications related to tie chain length (TCL), stall width (SW), and a combination of manger wall and stall length (MW/SL). A hybrid analytical approach combining principal component analysis (PCA) and mixed models was applied to identify spectral differences across treatments. In all three trials, housing modifications were associated with significant differences in spectral patterns, even in the absence of major shifts in traditional milk composition metrics. For example, cows with longer chai

SUBMITTER: Bahadi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12756307 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature