# Alpha Male Behavior - When Is Enough Enough?



## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

I have an apparently the alpha male in my flock. Currently he bullies all the birds but he has not caused any harm to them. He seems to dislike any bird going to the water or feed dishes and chases them away. At the end of the day some of my birds are very thirsty and hungry. One bird has now taken to hanging against the side of the fence as this is almost the only place he can be without getting harassed. If the others make a move the alpha is after them. One of my males seems to stand his ground against him; another, Fantail, will duke it out with him if he gets harassed; the rest are fearful.

I'm wondering, when is enough enough? I'm told things may eventually settle down once he's established himself but how long should I wait for that to happen? If he does not settle down I'm thinking of getting his wings trimmed.

Suggestions appreciated









d.


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## DaveD (Jul 9, 2001)

Hmmm. He could indeed calm down. Is he currently mated off or on eggs or babies?? 

You'll see very aggressive behaviour when they're in the process of nesting. But if he is on a nest, and still that aggressive, it's sure possible he's going to stay that way. 

I have two overly aggressive males. The one took a liking to picking babies bald, though thankfully that stopped after the large alpha male I have beat the snot out of him. But both males like that, I woudn't kill them, but if something else did, I don't think i'd shed a tear. 

Keep us posted as to what his nesting status is and how long the behaviour goes on. If he is preventing the others from eating, it may be time to step in. 

one more thought, if he's really protective of the waterer, you may want to consider either getting another one and putting it in a new location, or even rearranging the loft. I had a male who chased others from the water. . he was trying to nest on the floor about a foot from it. It may be in his territory. Best of luck, Dave

------------------
David and Kellie Dittmaier
Haven's Loft
www.geocities.com/havensloft


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## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

He hasn't nested yet; he hasn't paired-off yet either. He's still a bachelor - a rehabbed feral checker that is now king of the hill. I don't know how I feel having a feral in charge of my aviary but that's the situation at the moment.

I'm installing nest boxes right now. I also have two juveniles who's sex is still undetermined. Maybe I'll have hens all the way around in a few months...

d.


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## Elizabeth (Nov 15, 2001)

You might try taking this bird out of the loft for a few days. Put him in a cage by himself. I tried this with a very dominant bird and it broke the cycle of his bullying. Then again, I suppose it might not work on all birds.


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## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

> Originally posted by Elizabeth:
> *You might try taking this bird out of the loft for a few days. Put him in a cage by himself. I tried this with a very dominant bird and it broke the cycle of his bullying. Then again, I suppose it might not work on all birds.*


Interesting news... some slight changes. Alpha Male has cooled a little. Yesterday I observed him backing down to one of my other aggressive males. Perhaps they are all working out their pecking order and this is part of the process?

Alpha Male has also staked out two nest boxes for himself. I don't know what he'll do with two of them but he definitely guards both of them.

He has also become somewhat indifferent to two juveniles I am introducing to the flock. I thought he would pounce on them (and he did at first) but he seems not to care too much about them.

Alpha Male has issues with one particular male in my flock and seems to pester him more than the others.

Lately I have been observing him kind of monitoring the other birds. It's as if sometimes he will let them roost in a particular spot after he has established that he has some kind of claim over it. For example, if a bird lands on a perch the Alpha will butt in for a moment and then let it perch there.

Last night I watched Alpha finally letting other birds around the food and water dishes. Nearby was a hen just recently mated to one of my aggressive males. She seemed completely unafraid of Alpha and wouldn't take any BS from him. I never thought I'd see this kind of behavior in a hen. But there you have it









d.


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## robo squab (Jan 13, 2002)

Hi Scuiry!

I am familiar with feral pigeons much more than the homers since they are the only ones I raise I know that the checkers can be very aggressive even the females also usually at least with my birds a male wich is not associated with a female will not get in really bad fights with females it's usually a pecking match that they go into unless he is protecting a nest. Like some of the others here suggested you just have to wait and see but if he is getting to harmful you better try to seperate him some how Anyway keep us posted and I hope it gets better.
Thanks RoboSquab


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## candra (Dec 18, 2001)

D:

It sounds like you have pretty normal behavior here. I've experienced similiar behavior from the top male in our flock (Jeckle) but our guys have a unique environment, so I deal with them in a different way.

I used to train parrots and exotics, and pigeons are the closest avian relative to parrots, so I use some of my training techniques on my flock. These guys have a large aviary outside and they do not fly free.

First off, they all have names and they all respond to their names. I taught them this from the time they were young or when we first got them. 

They also understand "no". I say the birds name and shake my head no. This usually works. If sombody is being particullarly difficult, I say the birds name, shake my head know and give them a light tap on the wing (kind of like a wing swat -- it soenslt hurt them but it lets them know who is iin charge). The recongnize Charles and I as part of the flock and they know we bring food, so they do recongnize my authority over the top bird.

Jeckle (our current top bird) did have a few problems when he was new to the top bird position. He was a little cocky and there were skirmishes. He was just establishing his territory. He was always good to the juveniles, and they could get away with things that adults couldn't (like landing on a favored roost). There was one period when Jeckle and his brother were kind of fighting it out. Normally this wan't too bad, but one time I noticed that it went beyond normal fighting and it was stressing Heckle and he was out of breath. So I did step in. I gave Jeckle a "time-out".

I put a smaller cage inside the aviary and confined him there for a few hours. He knew he was in trouble and his behavior improved. They also know the word "time out" and they straighten up when I say it.

Also, when somebody is doing something wrong, I say the birds name and then clap my hands together (sounds like the birds wing flaps) and say "no". Thatusually works. The clapping is key. It get their attention and tehy knwo when I do it, then it's serious.

Jeckle mellowed with ag and once he had a mate. He's a single bird now but older, so he is pretty mellow and a very good top bird. He watches out for everybody. And he's great with the little ones. He really has a good personality. He also claims tow nesting boxes. So did his father (former top bird). 

The birds all have their territory and their favorite roosts which they will defend. In shor, unless you guy is hurting the other birds, then let them figure it out and establish the pecking order. If her hurts birds, try a time out. And try to get them to understand the word "no". Your alpha male sounds normal, and he will most likely mellow with age.

I hope I didn't sound too touchy-feely there, but I just try to recongnize the group dynamics of the flock , and learn to step in and use discipline when something is inaapropriate. WE have a pretty happy and mellow flock.

Candy


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## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

My Alpha is a feral. Does this make any difference in a flock with some hand-tamed and a couple of ferals? My Alpha will not let me get anywhere near it so I wonder how much it will recognize my "authority"?

d.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Candy - I found that really interesting about your flock. It sure does show that people and pigeons can and do have a special kind of relationship and communication. What I found surprising with my pigeons was that my male was not a young bird when he 'took over' the balcony, yet he still accepted me like I was an 'honorary pigeon', and learned to understand what certain human sounds and gestures indicated. 

The one word they all learned (his offspring often crept in to roost at dusk, and my boss-bird was laid back about it) was 'quiet'. Sometimes there could be 7 - 8 pigeons, and they'd argue over perching places at night or if I came in late and the lounge light went on. Open the door, point, and say 'quiet, pidgies!' - and little faces would turn toward me, stopped in mid-coo. And they stayed quiet the rest of the night!

John


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## candra (Dec 18, 2001)

Scuiry:

Yes, my guys do include rescued ferals and I know all about "that attitude". YOou have to show them who is boss. I don't mean in a "mean" way, but I definitely work with the "reward for task well done" method.(no mater how small. 

At first the ferals were shy and some were causing problems. I work with each bird as an individual and try to learn their personality.

Try this - at feeding time, go out and do the clap-clap to get their attention. There will probably be a lot of fluttering and some confused pigeons looking at you quizzically probably thinking "I didn't know he could make that noise". That's OK. Listen to that clap-clap siund they somerimes make with their wings (this is intentional -- they can fly without doing it when they choose) and try to mimic that sound with your clap-clap.

Then work your Alpha bird. do the clap-clap, point to him, Say his name if he has one, and then point to the ground or a roost or some place you would like him to fly. Repetition is the key. don't expect miracles at first. When he finally does fly to the designated spot, say good bird in a nice voice and nod your head up and down (praise)and give everybody food (reward). 

I give my guys food or treats (usually bread) from my hand when I work with them, but if you have a shy feral you will have to work up to that. He will watch the other birds take food from you and most likely he will eventually come around. 

After he is used to this, when he is bullying another birds, do the clap-clap and point to where you want him to go. Then the good bird thing. 

You can teach them "no" the same way. The key is getting their attentions with the clap-calp. If they are doing something wrong shake your head back and forth and say no. Repetition works.

I know it sounds silly. 

If your alpha really has an attitude you may have to gvie him some time out (put another cage inside the avairy) for a few hours. He'll get the idea of who is in charge.

Thes guys are very smart and capable of learing a good number of tricks and behavior. 

Candy


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## candra (Dec 18, 2001)

John:

Yes, my guys understand the quiet command too. Only I use "shhhhhh". They are very intelligent. Some are more stubborn than others but they are intelligent.

There is also a sound the top bird makes in time of trouble, I call it a warning hoot. It's low short hoot. Only one. First time I saw this behaviour my top bird saw a crow in teh tree (my guys are all in an aviary and don't fly outside) and he gave the warning hoot and the young pigeons (about a month olD) went running back to their nest boxes.

I've noticed this warning hoot when top bird sees something that isn't right. I have been able to imitate it and when I do it, everybody goes running into their little houses. So it is a command I use when I want them all in their nesting boxes.

It's pretty entertaining. 

Candy


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## DaveD (Jul 9, 2001)

Glad things are calming down some. Sounds like you have a good alpha. 

The warning hoot is facinating!!! I've seen mine do this a couple of times. When I have youngsters just out of the box, I try to startle them once or twice to help them get the idea that when the adults make a dash for the inside, they should too. Mine are very tame and don't seem bothered, and with other pets and things blowing in the wind, they have lots of practice. It's amazing how fast that many birds can fit into a 1X1 opening back into the loft!!!

Looking up here, my alpha seems to have complete control now. He's got a bottom nest box clamied, and it appears the only reason he's done this is for the youngsters to use. He doesn't go there unless he's feeding his little one, but makes sure the other birds steer clear. All babies are welcome in that box. . . . 

As for the two overly aggressive males, they behave themselves now. They found out andrew (alpha) has very little tolerance for bullying. They've both moved into another pen on thier own, but still spend most of the day looking over thier shoulders, lol. Best of luck, Dave


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Oh yeah, the 'hoot'









I watched my daddy pigeon training his kids. He would just be relaxing, and the kids would be 'playing', and he'd hoot n hide. After a few tries, the kids would run for the 'cave' I made them when he hid. Then, they ran anytime he hooted, while he'd just carry on relaxing.

Like Candy, it was one sound I could imitate - and I sent the kids scurrying away a few times when I tried it


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