Lactose and milk urea nitrogen: fluctuations during lactation in Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate lactose and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) in milk from Holstein cows and their relationship with days in milk (DIM), milk yield, milk fat, milk protein, and somatic cell count (SCC). A total of 1,034 records corresponding to morning and afternoon milkings of 148 Holstein cows were used. Records were taken from 16 herds located in the Northern and Eastern dairy regions of Antioquia (Colombia). The curves were fitted using a generalized additive mixed model with smoothed estimates to find the best smoothing intensity factors involved in MUN and lactose conc...