I've always thought that 1) buying baby chicks - cute as they are - for little children's transitory enjoyment on Easter is kind of cruel and 2) colored chicks get to be that way because they are sprayed with dye after they are hatched.
I don't know if you agree with me or not on point number one, but I guess I was wrong on the second part: chicks can actually get colored by injection of dyes a couple of hours before hatching time!
The scanned article above came from a 1947 Mechanix Illustrated, but it seems like the technique is alive and well today: Link - Thanks Jon Jason!
A friend who lived on a farm volunteered to take him, promising that he would live free and happy. Two weeks later, the guy showed up and complained that Chirstopher had been tough! I was devastated.