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Bullies: Out of control!
The article, Young, Single & Out of Control, Lemonick, addresses the problem of young bull elephants in South Africa. These young elephants were orphaned as calves and were raised without adult elephants to keep them in line, particularly the young bulls. The result is that these elephantine juvenile delinquents have begun to attack rhinos and are becoming bullies in the National Park. The Park Rangers have moved a few 40-year-old bull elephants into their midst and are seeing the calming effect of such a move.
Once the juvenile bullies had proper authority over them, the bullying stopped. This topic interests me because bullying in schools has become the rule rather than the exception. Cyber-bullying has captured the attention of the media with reports of the deaths of teens who became victims of internet bullies. Occasionally, there has been a bully in our pigeon loft. Without immediate action, these bullies, left to their own devices, could potentially create problems with could end in another pigeon’s demise or ultimately their own.
I want to address bullying in the loft, some ways to cure it, and the bullying of humans. First, I’ll include the few times this occurred in our loft and what we did to stop it, then I’ll include what other flyers have done to stop the bullying, next, I’ll look at what experts are saying about bullying in our society, and finally, offer some conclusions about the topic.
Fortunately, bullies in the loft are not a problem for us. Only a few times over the years can we even recall this occurring, and all involved cocks. We had a bully in our widowhood cock section that wouldn’t allow the other birds into the fly pen. After observing this behavior for a couple of days, my husband tied his legs together with string, not tight enough to cut off circulation, just tight enough to make it difficult for him to move around as usual. After a couple of days the string was removed and the bullying stopped.
The other example of bullying occurred this past race season. Again, one of the cocks in the widowhood section became a bully and wouldn’t allow other birds to the water or grit containers. My husband tried something different and locked him in his section for a few days. He was given food and water in his section, but not allowed to get out. After a few days of this, he was okay for about a week, but then he returned to bullying. Again, he was put in his section, fed and watered there for about a week. This time, when he was released, the bullying stopped permanently.
Asking a few other flyers what they did about bullying brought the following answers. One of our fellow pigeon club members, Ken Wetzel, who has flown pigeons for over 50 years, first in Chicago, and now here in the San Diego area, offered a couple of solutions that have worked for him. One was to place a rubber band around the last three flights, leave them on for a short time, remove, and the bullying ceases. Another remedy was to use an emery board and file down their beak a bit. And his final solution, which required being in the loft and seeing the behavior, was to spray them with a water bottle. He says the idea is “to intimate them, letting them know their bullying is not acceptable.”
Bert Braspenning also had more than one solution to the problem of bullying. He says to put the bird in a closed nest box where he cannot see the other birds. He needs to be given food and water in the box. He does this for about 3 days and then can be let out with the other birds. Another solution was to put the bully into another section and let an even bossier bird “teach him a few things.”
Wim Peters takes a more laizze faire approach and says, “I just leave them be and they sort out the pecking order very quickly.”
Gene Yoes offered some good advice. He says, “I’ve tried several things, but to no avail. If the bully is one of the best, he stays and gets both his nest boxes. If he is there only for “potential” then I consider removing him. But, keep in mind, if he can only bully some birds, not others who fight back, then he is creating incentive for those who fight back to race quicker to protect their territories and removing him will de-motivate those who stand their ground.” He goes on to say, “if this is in the breeding section, try moving the water to the inside on an upside down plastic milk crate. If in the breeding compartment, the others can get access to the fly pen and water when he is sitting his eggs or youngsters. You just have to decide whether he is worth the trouble he is causing. It is like football, the best players get more leeway acting like prima donnas than do the second stringers.” This last point is one that really sums it up, is the bird woth the trouble he’s causing?
Alex Bieche says to try hobbling their legs with elastic bands, reminding me that they hobble horses sometimes for much the same reason. He notes, “the bully will otherwise remain a bully because he is getting away with it in the same manner people remain aggressive if they think they can get away with it.”
The Pigeon, pp. 370-371, discusses the social behavior of the pigeon. It was interesting to note the following statement, “in the own nests they are monarchs; in the nests of others, cowards; in neutral territory, they concede or assume according to their psychological state: the bird which first assumes an air of confidence or courage finds that the other bird yields as a rule without argument” (613). Again, the act of being bullied or being a bully is dependent on the bird itself and the response of the other bird(s). If another pigeon isn’t going to challenge the bad behavior, it will continue.
We know that bullying occurs in pigeons and we also know that bullying occurs among humans. First, what is bullying? According to Focus on the Family “bullying involves ongoing aggressive behavior intended to cause harm or distress in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power, physical or otherwise.” We know that bullying among pigeons can take various forms, such as physical aggression, or demands of space, either in nest boxes, fly pens or in water and/or grit areas. For humans, bullying can be in the form of verbal, physical, social and now, electronic, also known as cyber-bullying.
Recently the ABC Family channel featured a movie-made-for-television, Cyber-bully. This excellent movie pointed out that bullying will continue unless someone learns how to stand up to the bully, takes control, and puts a stop to it. According to Stop Bullying Now it is a myth to believe that bullying will “rectify itself.” Rather, “bullying reflects an imbalance of power that happens again and again. Ignoring the bullying teaches those who bully that they can bully others without consequences. Adults and others need to stand up for children who are bullied and to ensure they are protected and safe.” As Cyber-bully pointed out, once given the tools to stop the bullying, children will begin to protect themselves from the perpetrator. As responsible pigeon owners, it is our responsibility to put a stop to pigeon bullies as soon as we notice them. It is part of our duty to provide a safe environment for all the birds. From personal experience, and listening to those who gave input on this situation, the bullying can be stopped once the pigeon learns there is going to be a consequence for his bad behavior.
Sometimes bullying among people appears in conflict situations. People may be in relationships that cause them to withhold complaints from their partner because they fear negative reactions from the other person. Their fear is that if they bring up the conflict, the other person’s response will result in physical or verbal bullying. This reluctance to speak their mind is known as the chilling effect (Rolloff & Cloven, 1990). If one person feels less power and therefore doesn’t bring up a complaint, then the other person gains more influence and power in the relationship. The person who is withholding the complaint may talk about it to family members or to friends, but the partner is never confronted. This unexpressed conflict then becomes a wedge that grows between the two until one person is basically bullying the other into going where, doing what, or saying what they please. If the person with less power simply accepts the unpleasant circumstances, the bullying will continue and frustration, apathy and resentment will build until the result is the chilling effect with little or no interaction in the relationship. Speaking up, stressing the “we” in the situation, staying calm, and being persistent can bring about change. The same principle as with the pigeons holds true, eventually there needs to be consequences for bullying.
Interweaving bullying behavior in the loft to bullying behavior between humans may be a stretch for some, but an argument can be made that there are similarities. Being a bully gives the pigeon or person a means to feel good about themselves and to gain power and control. Dr. Brelan of Seattle’s Children’s Hospital says that the bully is “getting some sort of reward out of it.” By ignoring a pigeon that’s a bully and failing to do something to correct it, a pigeon gets the reward of top hierarchal status in the loft and will continue the behavior. The human bully may gain esteem, but we cannot afford to ignore a bully.
The government website Stop Bullying Now says that “people who bully usually pick on those who have less social power, psychological power, or physical power (size, strength). However, some people who bully have been bullied by others.” If a child is brought up in a home where the chilling effect is the norm, they may bring this behavior with them to work or interpersonal relationships. The model they have experienced growing up may be the model they use in their adult lives, and become a bully by creating a chilling effect with co-workers, spouse and/or children. This same website states that “some people who bully may also have poor social skills and experience anxiety or depression. For them, bullying can be a way to gain social status.”
This last statement of gaining social status may be the one we can most easily apply to the pigeons. Claiming dominance over the other birds will give the bird that’s bullying some sort of social status, even if it’s a negative one. It is up to us, to teach it some social skills and cure it of the negative behavior. This suggestions mentioned earlier seem to work and would be worth trying. From hobbling, to separation, to squirting with water, the pigeon needs to learn we are in control, not the bird, and to stay in the loft, bad behavior will not be tolerated.
Coming back to the article I began with, about young juvenile elephants; the problems regarding bullies we have encountered with our pigeons, and others have shared, are all with males. Maybe one solution that would work best is the one suggested by Bert Braspenning, having another bird teach it some lessons. The young elephants behaved once older male elephants were placed with them, therefore, maybe placing the bullying cock in with older cocks could do the trick. The article suggests that to cure bullying it is not advantageous to allow the young elephant males to go unchecked, as the bullying behavior will only continue. The goal is to stop it as soon as possible and bring the bully under control.
For humans, in situations where the chilling effect may be in practice for more years than necessary, the bully needs to be stopped. No one should have to live in fear because another person’s bad behavior has been allowed to grow and develop over time. The bullying needs to end.
For many of us, bullying in the loft simply isn’t a problem or if it is, it’s so infrequent we tend to disregard its existence. But, the fact remains, though, that it can appear at any time, and for a variety of reasons; whether it’s overcrowding, or maybe too many unused nest boxes, the potential for a bully to appear remains.
Preparedness is good regardless of the circumstance. If disaster, in the disguise of bullying comes into our lives or into the lives of our pigeons, we need to be prepared and be able to stop it. From this Chick’s Point of View, I agree with this quote from Confucius, “success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure.” Now that we’re aware of bullying and how to stop it, we will be prepared to bring bullies back under control.
I want to address bullying in the loft, some ways to cure it, and the bullying of humans. First, I’ll include the few times this occurred in our loft and what we did to stop it, then I’ll include what other flyers have done to stop the bullying, next, I’ll look at what experts are saying about bullying in our society, and finally, offer some conclusions about the topic.
Fortunately, bullies in the loft are not a problem for us. Only a few times over the years can we even recall this occurring, and all involved cocks. We had a bully in our widowhood cock section that wouldn’t allow the other birds into the fly pen. After observing this behavior for a couple of days, my husband tied his legs together with string, not tight enough to cut off circulation, just tight enough to make it difficult for him to move around as usual. After a couple of days the string was removed and the bullying stopped.
The other example of bullying occurred this past race season. Again, one of the cocks in the widowhood section became a bully and wouldn’t allow other birds to the water or grit containers. My husband tried something different and locked him in his section for a few days. He was given food and water in his section, but not allowed to get out. After a few days of this, he was okay for about a week, but then he returned to bullying. Again, he was put in his section, fed and watered there for about a week. This time, when he was released, the bullying stopped permanently.
Asking a few other flyers what they did about bullying brought the following answers. One of our fellow pigeon club members, Ken Wetzel, who has flown pigeons for over 50 years, first in Chicago, and now here in the San Diego area, offered a couple of solutions that have worked for him. One was to place a rubber band around the last three flights, leave them on for a short time, remove, and the bullying ceases. Another remedy was to use an emery board and file down their beak a bit. And his final solution, which required being in the loft and seeing the behavior, was to spray them with a water bottle. He says the idea is “to intimate them, letting them know their bullying is not acceptable.”
Bert Braspenning also had more than one solution to the problem of bullying. He says to put the bird in a closed nest box where he cannot see the other birds. He needs to be given food and water in the box. He does this for about 3 days and then can be let out with the other birds. Another solution was to put the bully into another section and let an even bossier bird “teach him a few things.”
Wim Peters takes a more laizze faire approach and says, “I just leave them be and they sort out the pecking order very quickly.”
Gene Yoes offered some good advice. He says, “I’ve tried several things, but to no avail. If the bully is one of the best, he stays and gets both his nest boxes. If he is there only for “potential” then I consider removing him. But, keep in mind, if he can only bully some birds, not others who fight back, then he is creating incentive for those who fight back to race quicker to protect their territories and removing him will de-motivate those who stand their ground.” He goes on to say, “if this is in the breeding section, try moving the water to the inside on an upside down plastic milk crate. If in the breeding compartment, the others can get access to the fly pen and water when he is sitting his eggs or youngsters. You just have to decide whether he is worth the trouble he is causing. It is like football, the best players get more leeway acting like prima donnas than do the second stringers.” This last point is one that really sums it up, is the bird woth the trouble he’s causing?
Alex Bieche says to try hobbling their legs with elastic bands, reminding me that they hobble horses sometimes for much the same reason. He notes, “the bully will otherwise remain a bully because he is getting away with it in the same manner people remain aggressive if they think they can get away with it.”
The Pigeon, pp. 370-371, discusses the social behavior of the pigeon. It was interesting to note the following statement, “in the own nests they are monarchs; in the nests of others, cowards; in neutral territory, they concede or assume according to their psychological state: the bird which first assumes an air of confidence or courage finds that the other bird yields as a rule without argument” (613). Again, the act of being bullied or being a bully is dependent on the bird itself and the response of the other bird(s). If another pigeon isn’t going to challenge the bad behavior, it will continue.
We know that bullying occurs in pigeons and we also know that bullying occurs among humans. First, what is bullying? According to Focus on the Family “bullying involves ongoing aggressive behavior intended to cause harm or distress in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power, physical or otherwise.” We know that bullying among pigeons can take various forms, such as physical aggression, or demands of space, either in nest boxes, fly pens or in water and/or grit areas. For humans, bullying can be in the form of verbal, physical, social and now, electronic, also known as cyber-bullying.
Recently the ABC Family channel featured a movie-made-for-television, Cyber-bully. This excellent movie pointed out that bullying will continue unless someone learns how to stand up to the bully, takes control, and puts a stop to it. According to Stop Bullying Now it is a myth to believe that bullying will “rectify itself.” Rather, “bullying reflects an imbalance of power that happens again and again. Ignoring the bullying teaches those who bully that they can bully others without consequences. Adults and others need to stand up for children who are bullied and to ensure they are protected and safe.” As Cyber-bully pointed out, once given the tools to stop the bullying, children will begin to protect themselves from the perpetrator. As responsible pigeon owners, it is our responsibility to put a stop to pigeon bullies as soon as we notice them. It is part of our duty to provide a safe environment for all the birds. From personal experience, and listening to those who gave input on this situation, the bullying can be stopped once the pigeon learns there is going to be a consequence for his bad behavior.
Sometimes bullying among people appears in conflict situations. People may be in relationships that cause them to withhold complaints from their partner because they fear negative reactions from the other person. Their fear is that if they bring up the conflict, the other person’s response will result in physical or verbal bullying. This reluctance to speak their mind is known as the chilling effect (Rolloff & Cloven, 1990). If one person feels less power and therefore doesn’t bring up a complaint, then the other person gains more influence and power in the relationship. The person who is withholding the complaint may talk about it to family members or to friends, but the partner is never confronted. This unexpressed conflict then becomes a wedge that grows between the two until one person is basically bullying the other into going where, doing what, or saying what they please. If the person with less power simply accepts the unpleasant circumstances, the bullying will continue and frustration, apathy and resentment will build until the result is the chilling effect with little or no interaction in the relationship. Speaking up, stressing the “we” in the situation, staying calm, and being persistent can bring about change. The same principle as with the pigeons holds true, eventually there needs to be consequences for bullying.
Interweaving bullying behavior in the loft to bullying behavior between humans may be a stretch for some, but an argument can be made that there are similarities. Being a bully gives the pigeon or person a means to feel good about themselves and to gain power and control. Dr. Brelan of Seattle’s Children’s Hospital says that the bully is “getting some sort of reward out of it.” By ignoring a pigeon that’s a bully and failing to do something to correct it, a pigeon gets the reward of top hierarchal status in the loft and will continue the behavior. The human bully may gain esteem, but we cannot afford to ignore a bully.
The government website Stop Bullying Now says that “people who bully usually pick on those who have less social power, psychological power, or physical power (size, strength). However, some people who bully have been bullied by others.” If a child is brought up in a home where the chilling effect is the norm, they may bring this behavior with them to work or interpersonal relationships. The model they have experienced growing up may be the model they use in their adult lives, and become a bully by creating a chilling effect with co-workers, spouse and/or children. This same website states that “some people who bully may also have poor social skills and experience anxiety or depression. For them, bullying can be a way to gain social status.”
This last statement of gaining social status may be the one we can most easily apply to the pigeons. Claiming dominance over the other birds will give the bird that’s bullying some sort of social status, even if it’s a negative one. It is up to us, to teach it some social skills and cure it of the negative behavior. This suggestions mentioned earlier seem to work and would be worth trying. From hobbling, to separation, to squirting with water, the pigeon needs to learn we are in control, not the bird, and to stay in the loft, bad behavior will not be tolerated.
Coming back to the article I began with, about young juvenile elephants; the problems regarding bullies we have encountered with our pigeons, and others have shared, are all with males. Maybe one solution that would work best is the one suggested by Bert Braspenning, having another bird teach it some lessons. The young elephants behaved once older male elephants were placed with them, therefore, maybe placing the bullying cock in with older cocks could do the trick. The article suggests that to cure bullying it is not advantageous to allow the young elephant males to go unchecked, as the bullying behavior will only continue. The goal is to stop it as soon as possible and bring the bully under control.
For humans, in situations where the chilling effect may be in practice for more years than necessary, the bully needs to be stopped. No one should have to live in fear because another person’s bad behavior has been allowed to grow and develop over time. The bullying needs to end.
For many of us, bullying in the loft simply isn’t a problem or if it is, it’s so infrequent we tend to disregard its existence. But, the fact remains, though, that it can appear at any time, and for a variety of reasons; whether it’s overcrowding, or maybe too many unused nest boxes, the potential for a bully to appear remains.
Preparedness is good regardless of the circumstance. If disaster, in the disguise of bullying comes into our lives or into the lives of our pigeons, we need to be prepared and be able to stop it. From this Chick’s Point of View, I agree with this quote from Confucius, “success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure.” Now that we’re aware of bullying and how to stop it, we will be prepared to bring bullies back under control.
