Purple Gallinule Chicks Fight Each Other for Food 

Purple gallinule chicks fight each other for food at Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, Florida. There is a pecking order for chicks and those that eat first are generally the older, bigger, and stronger ones. Parents of chicks intuitively recognize which chicks are the stronger ones and if others are weak or vulnerable. In order to make sure there is survival of the stronger chicks, parents will feed them first. They also may peck at vulnerable chicks. The success of chicks truly can hinge on birth order.