Driving around between calls with the windows down and the sun shining, you could easily forget the difficulties farmers faced this year on account of the weather.

But there’s always something, and a recent issue that has cropped up on some farms is cows with loose dung and a drop in milk yield, with some also seeing a drop in butter fat.

Cows that are scouring and back in milk need to be examined by a vet as a few factors may be at play including parasites, infectious disease or a dietary issue.

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One thing that springs to mind in these cases is the possibility of ruminal acidosis.

The rumen is the largest of the cow’s four stomachs and poor rumen health has a knock-on effect on other systems.

Although at this stage we all want to see the grass take off, fast-growing lush grass can pose an issue due to a lack of fibre.

Cows cudding adequately is necessary to buffer the rumen.

Second rotation grazing has been pushed out this year on account of the poor weather so this issue may be a bit later than previous years.

Low covers can be problematic as the sward has not gotten a chance to become long and fibrous.

Aftergrass can also cause problems.

Butterfat levels can indicate an issue with acidosis or sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) as the changes in the rumen affect the production of milk fat.

If 10% of the herd has a butter fat less than 2.5%, this can indicate an issue. If your vet suspects ruminal acidosis is at play, speak to your meal supplier to look at ways of increasing fibre supply which can be done by altering the cereal source or adding higher fibre products such as soya hulls.

Buffers and yeast can also be added. Fibre can also be offered to cows by feeding hay.

Drying the cows up a bit might make time in the parlour a bit more pleasant too.

Paul Ryan, MVB, XLVets, Waterside Vets, Limerick