ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — No doubt about it, they are cute. And little and fluffy. And they “peep” enchantingly.

Their “Awwwww” quotient is off the charts.

They have been a sign of Easter and springtime for generations.

We’re talking about Easter chicks, and they are available at Robertsdale Feed, Seed & Supply Inc. on Highway 59 in Robertsdale. There are trays of brightly colored dyed chicks in the top rows of a rack near the front door of the store, and a couple of racks of yellow and brown peepers below that.

Hint: If you are looking for egg-layers, go for the yellow and brown chicks.

“The colored chicks are Cornish Rock Crosses,” said Brian Johnson, owner of Robertsdale Feed, Seed, & Supply. “That’s a meat chicken.”

The store, Johnson says, has been carrying chicks at this time for the past “60 to 70 years.”

The yellow-and brown chicks are the “Ameraucana” chicken, and lay eggs.

“They’re called the ‘Easter egg’ chicken,” explained Johnson, adding that this breed is known for laying blue and green-colored eggs. The eggs are fine to eat, and provide all the nutrition of more conventional brown or white eggs you see in the supermarket, but aficionados prize the unusual shell color. The dyed feathers on the colored chicks will grow out as the young chicken gets her adult plumage.

Yes, that’s right. Her. According to Johnson, all the chicks offered for sale are female.

While there can be some slip-ups, “They are right about 99 percent of the time,” said Johnson.

While there have been reports that chicks can carry salmonella, a germ that causes stomach upsets and other illnesses, but Johnson says all his chicks have undergone state inspection and were certified disease-free. Still, washing hands well after handling the chicks is a good idea. And it’s important that children realize that a chick is a delicate living creature, not a stuffed toy to maul.

Like any new animal added to the household, chicks need some supplies.

New chickens need feed, a “brooder” to keep them warm, a water dish that the chicks won’t drown in, and of course, attention and a clean place.

Johnson says his store carries a full line of supplies for chickens, including brochures and other material on caring for chicks.

“Most people keep them at home, in a cardboard box with a light,” said Johnson. According to the “Backyardchickens.com” Web site, chicks need to stay in the brooder, a heated, draft-free enclosure until they are five to eight weeks old. They can go to a protected outdoor coop after that. The heated cardboard box, the site says, is just fine.

The bottom of the brooder should be filled with an absorbent material to catch the inevitable messes. According to the Backyardchickens site, “In the bottom of the brooder, use paper towels or something similar for the first day or two. Newspaper is too slippery for them and can cause leg problems. After the first couple days, you can switch to pine (not cedar) shavings, because by that time the chicks will have learned what is good to eat and what isn’t, so they won’t be eating their bedding.”

“Any number of people keep chickens,” said Johnson, adding that seeing the youngsters come in and peer at the chicks is a lot of fun.

“They need plenty of food and water and a warm place to sleep,” said Johnson.

The chicks come to the store via the mail, and by June, it’s too hot to ship the birds.

And it’s not just kids who like the little peepers.

“People come in all the time (to purchase chicks),” Johnson says. “The vast majority are complaining about the high price of eggs.”