A pen of 15 bulls and a pen of 15 steers were observed to investigate the relationship between dominance and eating behavior. The feeding system employed a stall attached to a feed hopper whereby only one animal of a pen could eat at one time. Eating behavior and competition for the stall were recorded during two 24-h observations of each pen. High ranking cattle had fewer meals (P < 0.05) but tended to spend more time per day eating. Dominant cattle did not prevent subordinates from gaining access to the stall. Low ranking cattle replaced higher ranking cattle as frequently as they were replaced by higher ranking cattle.