2 male ducks fighting

[Du Vey]

2 male ducks fighting tooth and nail over 2 females, even though one duck already has his mate - he seems to want both females...
The whole brood of 4 males, 2 females were fine for ages... until today.
1 female, 2 males are 7 weeks older than the other 1 female and 2 males.
they were all introduced bit by bit and have all got on really well as a flock.
about 4 weeks ago, one male from the first batch chose his mate from the first batch... that was fine, she started laying eggs about 16 days ago...
Then the 2nd female from the 2nd batch came of age, and the gents from the 2nd batch were interested, but also the male from the first batch who already had his mate. They all still were a fine flock, and the little lady laid her first 2 eggs over 2 days.
Well, I was out all day today and the Quackers were left to their own devices, which they usually are anyway... but when they came into the kitchen this evening for their supper, the 2 males were pecking and holding onto each other and not letting go. I noticed the younger duck (white) was filthy at the front of his chest, and as I watched them peck at each others necks, heads and chests, I saw he was quite red under his chest feathers... but he wasn’t going to give up and he gave as good as he got. Thing is... the other duck already has his mate, but it seems he wants both of the females. But the white duck doesn’t want the other duck’s mate, he wants his own mate - the younger female.
Apart from separating them tonight so they don’t tear the shit out of each other, even when sharing a meal (all 6 of them) ... why\at on earth do I do?
I put the older duck with his original mate on one side of the fence in the housing (I have a fencing panel thingy) and the youngerduck and his mate in the other side. The other 2 males don’t seem to give a monkeys...

any advice. The younger duck’s chest under the muddy feathers looked like it could get sore if it continued...

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I have 15 ducks and 2 are drakes. One time they fight over one of my females I just let them work it out! If it’s to bad break it up. The season is coming up for the drakes to be happy! So they are going to fight. I hope this helps!

 

[365username]

I have 15 ducks and 2 are drakes. One time they fight over one of my females I just let them work it out! If it’s to bad break it up. The season is coming up for the drakes to be happy! So they are going to fight. I hope this helps!

I agree, every bird I've ever had in my 5 years of having birds that's the exact thing I did

 

[MeganFair]

Also, if I’m reading your original post right, you have 4 drakes and 2 ducks altogether? The other issue you’re going to deal with is that you don’t have nearly enough females for the number of males. Conventional wisdom is 1 drake per two or three hens. Even if they never started fighting, they’re going to overbreed your females, and then egg production will decline. Do your two hens looks like their neck feathers are always ruffled? In my experience that’s evidence of overbreeding.

Ducks don’t do mated pairs - drakes chase any female they’re interested in. They may have favorites, but it’s usually a group. My eldest drake, Enterprise, has a group of four ducks that are his and that he barely allows the other males near (Granted, his ladies DO NOT LIKE any male but Enterprise coming near him either). Two of my other keeper drakes, Gojira and Chocolate, usually stick to my lady Anconas and my lady Pekin. We’re actually about to cull our three Ancona drakes because they have the unfortunate tendency to gang up on one female, and honestly, I’m uncomfortable having more than three males to my eleven females.

The solution to your main problem is you either need rehome/cull three of your males, or you need to get at least another six hens. At the very least the males need to be separated out from the females, though you can probably leave one boy in with the girls and be just fine. As spring goes on, you’re going to see more fighting if you don’t do something about the ratio.