# Evaluating Welfare, Milk Quality and Yield of Rendena Cows in Loose vs. Tied Housing Systems

## TL;DR

This study compares loose and tied housing systems for Rendena cows in Italy, finding that loose housing improves milk yield and quality while maintaining good welfare.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence that loose housing systems enhance milk production and quality in Rendena cows compared to tied systems.

## Key findings

- Cows in loose housing systems produced more milk with higher protein and casein content.
- Both housing systems showed good animal welfare, but loose housing had better milk quality traits.
- Differences in milk traits may be influenced by management and nutritional factors beyond housing alone.

## Abstract

Local cattle breeds often rely on small farms with limited resources, making it essential to ensure good animal welfare and high-quality food production. In northeastern Italy, the Rendena cattle breed is commonly raised in either loose housing, which allows cows to move freely, or under tied housing, typical of mountain areas, in which cows are tethered in winter and have pasture access. This study aimed to evaluate animal welfare in these two housing systems and to assess whether the type of housing affects milk production and milk quality. Data were collected from 750 Rendena cows on 17 farms over a 15-month period. Overall, both housing systems showed good levels of animal welfare; however, cows housed in loose systems produced more milk with higher protein and casein contents compared to cows kept in tied systems, and these parameters are crucial for cheese making. Further research is needed to understand whether housing systems and other factors, such as nutrition or management, can help Rendena farmers improve milk production, supporting their work and the conservation of the breed.

The objectives of this study were (i) to analyze the ClassyFarm welfare scores in loose housing system (LHS) and tied housing system (THS) Rendena herds, and (ii) to investigate the influence of the housing on individual milk yield and quality traits in Rendena cows. The dataset consisted of 3761 individual milk samples from 750 Rendena cows, collected between August 2022 and November 2023 from 17 single-breed herds of the Veneto region. Available data included days in milk (DIM), parity, and milk yield, as well as fat, protein, casein, and lactose contents, somatic cell count, differential somatic cell count, and urea concentration. For milk traits, a linear mixed model included housing system, DIM, and parity as fixed effects, while cow, herd-test-date, and residual variability were random effects. In both housing systems, a good level of welfare was observed, although shortcomings in biosecurity measures were identified in both LHS and THS. Milk quality (in terms of protein % and casein %) and yield were higher in LHS compared to THS. The observed differences cannot be explained by the housing system alone, as other management and nutritional factors may have played a role, highlighting the need for further studies to clarify these contributions.