Yellowknife (Apr 21/03) - Personally, I'd rather still be in bed at 8 a.m. on a Saturday.But not Jolene Strang.

Eric Jonasson, 11, holds onto his first chick. He plans on naming the little guy Bubbles. - Erin Fletcher/NNSL photo

She and her three-year-old son, Connor, were at J.J. Hobbies at 8 a.m. to be the first in line for the annual 'Rent a Chick' event.

And Strang wasn't alone. She and more than 50 other people were lined up down the sidewalk for a chance to take a chick home for Easter.

J.J. Hobbies store manager Jennifer Eggenberger said it's the same every year -- within five minutes of opening the doors all the chicks are gone.

"For a lot of people the only chicken they'll see is the one on the table," said Eggenberger.

The store has been doing this for more than 15 years. They fly in chicks from Edmonton. People can return the chicks and the chicks are then given to a local chicken farm to be raised, said Eggenberger. This year the 53 chicks are white leghorns, a meat breed.

I have to admit, the first time I heard about Rent a Chick I was horrified.

What do city people know about caring for a chick? As a former member of the rural youth organization 4H, and a poultry judge, I had my doubts as to the survival rate of the chicks once people got them home.

But Eggenberger said the survival rate is "pretty good." She gives each renter an information sheet about the temperatures the chick should be kept at, vital signs to watch for and special food.

"It's no different than any other animal," she said.

"Chickens are no more fragile than a hamster."

Although most people return their chicks by Tuesday, some choose to keep them.

Dawn McManus is one of those people. Last year she raised a rooster named Chester.

"I grew up on a farm and (Chester) was a little bit of farm life I guess," she said.

She kept Chester in her trailer for five months. He had his own cage, she gave him baths in the shower, he ran around the fenced deck and crowed "every hour".

She eventually gave Chester away to a local farm.

Now she's back to raise another one. This time she's hoping for a hen.