Using a real-time location system to detect behavioral changes in ewes with subclinical mastitis and their lambs

Subclinical mastitis, the asymptomatic inflammation of the udder, is an important economic and animal welfare concern in meat-producing flocks, causing reduced milk yield and poorer lamb growth and survival. Cases often remain undetected until more severe stages, highlighting the need to investigate early detection methods, such as automated behavioral monitoring. Our objective was to use a real-time location system to determine whether subclinical mastitis affected ewe and lamb movement patterns. From 2−6 weeks postpartum, we collected duplicate milk samples weekly from each udder half of 24 ewes (15 Polypay, 3 Hampshire, and 6 Targhee) for bacterial speciation. Ewes were considered infected in a given week if milk samples from at least one udder half contained ≥ 100 CFU/mL at both the start of that week and the following week's sampling. Each ewe and her lamb(s) wore neck-mounted sensors that recorded x, y coordinates every 0.1 s via ultrawideband technology while housed in a group pe..., , , # Supplementary Materials — *Using a real-time location system to detect behavioral changes in ewes with subclinical mastitis and their lambs*

This repository contains the data and R script used to conduct the descriptive and statistical analyses and create the figures referenced in the paper of the same name.

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## 📄 Study Overview

Our study examined whether a real-time location system could be used to detect behavioral changes associated with naturally occurring subclinical mastitis in ewes and their lambs. Specifically, we used a real-time location system to quantify:

1. the daily average distance between each ewe and her lamb(s)
2. the ewe’s distance from the feed bunks
3. the daily distance traveled by the ewe
4. the daily distance traveled by her lamb(s)

**Methods:** We collected duplicate milk samples weekly from each udder half of 24 ewes (15 Polypay, 3 Hampshire, and 6 Targhee) for bacterial speciation for weeks 2 through 6 of lactation. Ewes were considered infected in ...,