IMAGE: PECKING ORDER (JASON ROSENBERG (FLICKR.COM))

Studies of chickens have given way to the phrase the pecking order. Each chicken knows where it stands amongst other chickens and the head chicken, the despot, gets to eat first and has the right to peck all the other chickens. The poor chicken at the bottom though is pecked constantly but gets to peck no-one and suffers highly from stress.

But even in the chicken yard, revolutions occur as younger chicks are placed with the older ones and the despot could be toppled from the highest order at any time.

Another study on chickens shows what happens when you take the top producing hens and place them in a separate area to the average producing hens. Over time, the average hens have increased their production and are healthy and functioning. The ‘super-hens’ have all but killed each other and the ones remaining are harassed.

What lessons in life do these chicken studies have for us as we live in our ever increasing competitive world?