Chalk paint pt1

Last weekend I went to my cousin's baby shower and got to see some family I haven't seen in a LONG time. It was wonderful to catch up and it really made me miss our annual Thanksgivings that ended almost 20 years ago! While there I spoke with a cousin about her chalk painting. I had seen pics of people doing this and was always fascinated with the transformations but figured it was an involved process and I didn't have the time or the need for it previously. But after moving into this new house we want a very different feel from our furniture. We had all dark wood pieces in the last house and now I want an old farm house feel. So this seems like the perfect way to transform the feel of the house without expending a bunch of money on new furniture. Wolf isn't crazy about the idea so I'm going to start with a piece he doesn't see and that I think is in desperate need of a makeover.... my grandma's sewing table.  

Sorry for the horrible picture. I was too lazy to shut the blinds to block the sun. Plus it's so messy; I am in the middle of sewing a t-shirt quilt and still have the scraps from the silkies I made for my cousin.

This piece currently lives in the guest room closet so if I don't like the result, no real harm done. Although I have been toying with the idea of moving the guest room to the basement and making this room my craft room. So one day it may be out in the open.

Now to decide on a color. When I look at pictures I find myself drawn to the white pieces the most. But this shares a room with some white dressers that I want to leave white. So even though it's in the closet, I want it to be a different color. So I'm thinking a dark grey like this one (via pinterest)

or a little lighter like this (also via pinterest)

Here are the colors to choose from

What do you think?

If this goes well I have plans for our coffee table, dining room table that's currently in the basement because it doesn't work at all with the upstairs decor, our bedroom dressers, nightstands, and headboard, and the guest room dresser and nightstand!

It will be awhile before I do this because I have to get the supplies, but I'll post progress as I can. 

Chicken food

I have been asked a lot about my homemade chicken food so I thought I'd write a little something up. Here are my ingredients from Azure Standard.

	Code	Brand	Name	Size	Price	Quantity
	OL131	Azure Farm	Flax Seed Oil, Fresh, Organic	32 ozs.	$11.55
	HS091	Azure Standard	Kelp Powder	4 ozs.	$2.80
	GP073	Bulk	Chicken Wheat, Organic	50 lbs.	$21.65
	BE019	Bulk	Lentils	25 lbs.	$12.30
	BE032	Bulk	Peas Green, Whole	25 lbs.	$11.95
	GP034	Bulk	Whole Oats with Hulls - Animal Feed, Organic	45 lbs.	$21.45

The peas and lentils will last for many batches. I've had mine for over 6 months and am only half way through the bags. The kelp powder lasts 2-3 months and the flax seed oil lasts many months (again I've had mine for more than 6 months and still have about half a bottle left). Each batch is about 100lbs and costs me about .44/lb on these latest prices. I also buy black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) from our local feed store when they have them on sale and add about 12lbs of those to a batch. 

I mix half the wheat and oats, the BOSS, a few ounces of kelp powder (for minerals), and a few tablespoons of flax seed oil in a large lidded trash can. I keep my fermentation bucket (post here) next to it (I'll be trying my fermented feeder this season - update, this version didn't work). I add 3 cups of this mix to the bucket after I feed 5-6 cups to the chickens each morning. The grains swell so much it only takes 3 cups to make 6 cups of food. I add water as necessary to keep everything under a few inches of water. The BOSS float but I don't worry about it. To feed I just pick up the inner bucket and let it drain, mix in the BOSS, then walk around the run to each feeding platter and dish out a scoop or two. They all love it and by the end of the day it's completely gone.  

For the peas and lentils I found the chickens wouldn't eat them at all if they were dry or fermented. I have begun to sprout those and feed on day 3. Each morning I bring a jar of sprouts out and empty it in the run with the rest of their food. Then I return to the kitchen where I store the peas and lentils and add 1/4c of each to the now empty quart jar. I fill with water and let sit overnight. The beans swell and the next morning I empty the water (I use tulle as a lid held on with the jar ring). They sit damp like that until the following day when they will be fed to the chickens and the cycle restarted. I have 2 jars going by the kitchen sink at all times so I always have one ready to feed.

I calculated the protein of the azure ingredients and my food is roughly 16-17% protein which is perfect for adult chickens. I, of course, have oyster shell out at all times for calcium. 

They also get any appropriate table scraps and are let out to free range any bugs they can catch whenever possible. Though their free ranging time outside of the run has been limited since the rabbit keeps escaping whenever I let them out and I really don't want to lose her to a fox!