odd muscovey behavior?

[greenfinger]

Some 10 years ago (or so I'm told) a nearby neighbor raised a few of these ducks, then turned them loose. They now have the run of near 10 acres of horse pasture, yards, GARDEN , ponds. They are indeed self sufficient.
Last year one mamma raised 16 chicks to adulthood, or to one year at least. As they belong to no one I considered harvesting a few... I "fouled" out. I regret it each time I open the freezer.
At any rate, one mamma this year hatched 16 chicks...and they disapeared...you know, dogs, turtles, cats...I assumed. Two weeks ago, mamma hatched 18... next week there was only 8.
AT LAST, THE BEHAVIOR:
I watched at two separate times in a day as two young males chased mamma away from her babies. Is this a habit of young males? So she left the babies alone for about 10 minutes each time. Now the males did nothing directly to the ducklings, but no wonder the last batch disapeared, being alone so long.
I find it odd that she ran/flew, as the mamma last year took after my 5 year old when he got to close to them. She flew up on his back, beating him with bill and wings. (it didn't last long, Daddy to the rescue) He has better manners now.
This mamma may be sister to the young males. (the boys' red thingy on their heads are smaller than other males)
Must I "eliminate" these bullies to have another chance at filling my freezer? How do 18-ish month old ducks taste? Still good, or tuogh?

[seedywen]

I've had lots of muscovy ducks for many years.

Generally speaking, have kept the adult males away from the females and their young, until the babies are about six weeks old.

Although the adult males aren't necessarily hostile towards the babies, they don't(in my flocks)take any role in protecting them and quite often are the cause of accidents to the young.

For example, treading them into the mud pondside with their big feet, or mating the mother and squishing ducklings underneath, etc.

Although the muscovy moms are generally fiercely protective, of their babies, if I really want the babies to survive the first six weeks, I protect them in moveable pens or in secure coops. It's not just the males that the ducklings need protection from, but the wide range of predators, ravens, rats, eagles, cats, coons, bears.......

So many predators love to eat duck!

18 months old is a stewing duck in my book. I butcher(mostly males) at 12-16 weeks.

[grunt]

You can smother the cooking bird in onions or tomatoes to tenderize. Works good for tough venison too = make it cut with a fork tender.

[ozarklady]

Really?
I have some venison, that needs to be used, but it is so tough that it is not edible.
So after you put onions and tomatoes on (it will need both!) What do you do to make it possible to chew it?

[grunt]

Cook it. Smother it in tomatoes, or tomato sauce and/or onions, stick it in the oven and bake until done. Slightly lower temperature so that it takes a bit longer doesn't hurt either.

[ozarklady]

Hey, I often make Swiss Steak, or that is what my grandma called it.
She took beef steak or roast, put it on to cook in dutch oven, with water and onions.
After it was almost done, she peeled and added potatoes to it, then she opened tomato sauce and added it, let it cook until potatoes are just done enough to thicken the broth... Then you eat it.
It is always amazingly tender. I never knew it was the tomatoes and onions, I thought it was the long cooking time. But that dish has not once come out tough.

[greenfinger]

Thanks all for your responses!