COEUR d'ALENE - The sounds of peeping baby chicks were missing Wednesday at Cenex Co-op Supply on Government Way. A large galvanized metal tub, with heat lamp attached, ready to hold tiny tufts of chirping, spindly-legged fluff, sat empty. Duane Simon, who works at the Dalton Gardens store, said the major hatcheries that sell chicks are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

COEUR d'ALENE - The sounds of peeping baby chicks were missing Wednesday at Cenex Co-op Supply on Government Way.

A large galvanized metal tub, with heat lamp attached, ready to hold tiny tufts of chirping, spindly-legged fluff, sat empty.

Duane Simon, who works at the Dalton Gardens store, said the major hatcheries that sell chicks are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

"Most of them are one to two months behind," Simon said. "I can order them for people."

But they'll have to wait for the tiny fowl to arrive.

Baby chicks' hot commodity status this spring has nothing to do with the upcoming Easter holiday.

"More people are starting to buy their own hens for egg production," Simon said. "They like to know where their food is coming from."

Candace Godwin started her own backyard chicken flock two years ago in Midtown Coeur d'Alene.

"I think it's all part of the sustainable living movement," Godwin said. "For some, this is a trend, and for others it is a way of life. We're somewhere in the middle, I guess."

Godwin already had a thriving vegetable garden on her .16-acre lot when she decided to add a poultry coop.

"I loved the idea of fresh eggs and having chickens in the yard," she said.

The chicks she bought at a local farm supply store when they were a day old will celebrate their second hatch day in May.

The birds, of breeds chosen by Godwin for their winter hardiness and egg production, have become more than a breakfast food source. They've become pets.

The Rhode Island Red is named Helen. Henrietta and Penelope, aka "Henny and Penny," are a pair of Barred Rocks. There is a Black sex-Link named Flame and an Australorpe named Harriet.

"We kept them in a plastic tub with a heat lamp in the family room for about three weeks and then moved them into the coop," Godwin said. "They grow fast - really fast - but they don't start laying eggs until they are about 20 weeks old."

The five "girls" now produce from two to three eggs per day.

They also give Godwin a lot to smile about.

"They are clowns. Really. I've handled them since chicks so they come running when I come out, all eager to see what goodies I might have for them," Godwin said. "They were raised on polenta and still love it. That, and cottage cheese."

The hens are easy to keep, Godwin said, usually requiring nothing more than fresh water, feed and a secure coop.

She lets them graze in the yard when her garden is dormant in the fall and early spring.

"They can clear a patch of lettuce in no time flat. I learned this the hard way," Godwin said.

She hasn't heard any complaints from her neighbors about the chicks-in-residence, likely because they're quiet, kept clean and Godwin shares the eggs.

People often ask Godwin if a rooster is required in order for hens to produce eggs.

Luckily for backyard chicken farmers, they're not.

Because they crow, roosters are not allowed by city ordinance.

Kathy Lewis, Coeur d'Alene's deputy city clerk, said that while there is no limit on the number of chickens someone can keep on their property, there are ordinances against allowing them to run at large or allowing any odors to become a problem.

More people are contacting the city clerk's office about the legal ins and outs of backyard chicken farming than ever before.

Lewis estimates the number of calls about raising poultry has gone up 20 percent in the past year.

Bob Foster, Coeur d'Alene's code enforcement officer, has been on the job for about a year.

"During that time I've seen some new small chicken coops around town," Foster said. "I've only had one complaint that was resolved voluntarily."

The issue, Foster said, had to do with the coop's location. It was too close to a neighbor's house.

"The chicken coop owner was very cooperative in moving the coop which eliminated the problem," Foster said.

Candace Godwin can't claim any real egg savings from her backyard chicken operation.

"But there really is nothing like fresh eggs," Godwin said.