This really is going to be a rant! Sorry, straight up!
I know I said earlier in the week I would share some recipes (and I will over the next few days), but I just cannot get over the way people are treating (or not treating) their animals. The weather has been so bad for almost 3 weeks now, and hit an all time low of -13 degrees last night – that’s damned cold.
And yet, there are two fields, just a couple of miles from our house and there are 3 or 4 horses in each field with not a scrap of shelter! I don’t know much about horses, but I’m sure they feel the cold. When I say no shelter – there is nothing. These horses are out in fields on the side of a hill, with no over-coats on, no barn, not even a tree to shelter under. That must be cruelty. It makes me so angry.
On the same but slightly different note… as you know we did have 7 hens and one rooster, but over a period of a few days the fox took them. Now, I am actually worrying about the fox! I know I am mad/sad (both). But the fox must be extremely hungry because he’s not even waiting for cover of darkness…. I saw the fox out yesterday afternoon at 2 p.m. foraging for food. So despite the fact that he has eaten all our hens, I wonder should I leave some food out for him? Then is he likely to become dependent on it, or hang around so much that I will be cursing when we get more hens??? I considered throwing some apples out in the orchard for him to find. Will foxes eat apples and vegetables if they are hungry?
I heard a wildlife guy speaking on Derek Mooney’s radio show yesterday, suggesting cutting apples in half and leaving them out for the birds, so I’ve done that in a few places out of cats’ reach. Mind you the same guy did suggest to people to approach their local supermarket for any bruised apples, that they could then take home and leave out for birds…. bet he’s never done that … we did, thinking of waste for pigs, and the reply we got was that the supermarket couldn’t give us the waste for Health & Safety reasons!!!! Figure that one out!
We collected another trailer of ‘waste’ vegetables today from our local vegetable farmer for the pigs… it is a disgrace that these veg are considered waste…. and there are people going hungry in the world. Farmer Alfie and I salvaged some for ourselves, so peppers are roasting in the oven as I write, and celery and cheese soup is on the menu for lunch tomorrow!
If you are out and about in this weather, wrap up warm and drive safely!
A Year In Redwood 
I’m with you all the way on this, perhaps a phonecall to the ISPCA. They are very good at sending out inspectors. If there’s no “cruelty” then nothing can be done – I wonder are they being fed? BTW there is a new programme on RTE just started earlier this week, Animal A&E. Worth checking out. Can’t help with the fox dilemma. Probably best not to encourage it.
That lucky fox. He has it away with your hens and you want to feed him coz of the ice! Have you tried Foxes Glacier Mints?
Hadn’t thought about the mints! But I figure he has enough ‘glacier’ to keep him going for a while!
eh, it’s a fox! not a bear!