Old McDonald Had Some Bullies! Many chicken bullies peck weaker chickens to death! That's how the term pecking order came about—the larger, stronger ones picking on the smaller, weaker ones. We know the behavior can apply to other animals, including people. Pigs sometimes go after each other and so do cows, as two other examples. Scientists in the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Livestock Behavior Research Unit at West Lafayette, Indiana, want to help these farm animals get along better. Why? Because, just like people, a happier animal is usually a healthier one. For chickens, the scientists' strategy is to identify hens and roosters that aren't so hot-tempered and mate them. Earlier breeding efforts by others may have been too focused on developing birds that produced lots of eggs. The breeders may also have allowed traits for aggression to show up in the breeds. The scientists' focus now is on breeding birds that are gentle but still great egg layers.
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