A mixed flock works because geese graze and ducks hunt pests. Geese keep grass short and call at trouble. Ducks sweep damp edges for slugs and beetles. The system runs on routine, space to pass, and duplicate feed and water so no bird has to fight for a turn. Design is simple and firm. Build three zones: a dry house, a wet work area with the pool, and a grazing area beyond. Keep all water outside on a base that drains. Vent high so warm, wet air leaves at night. Give ducks four to six square feet indoors and geese eight to ten. Paths should be wide and dry, with two doors or a wide door to ease traffic. Feed a complete waterfowl ration on a schedule. Geese top off on grass. Ducks need more niacin, about fifty to sixty milligrams per kilogram of feed; add brewers yeast at two to three percent if the label is unclear. Offer oyster shell only to active layers, and grit if birds eat whole foods. Place two feed pans and two drinkers far apart. Water is split into drinkers and a dunking pool. Bowls sit on firm pads at chest height. The pool sits in shade, tips for cleaning, and gets scrubbed on a rhythm. In heat, refresh often. In cold, break ice or use a safe deicer so heads can still dunk. Raising young is staged. Start brooders warm, near ninety five degrees Fahrenheit on day one, then drop five degrees each week. Brood species separately at first, swap bedding for scent, meet through a barrier, then share space in short sessions. Teach a door cue and lock up at the same time each night. Seasons set behavior. Spring brings hormones, so use space, visual breaks, and short separations to stop cross-species mounting. Summer is heat and molt, so push shade and water turnover. Autumn is the easy merge. Winter is dry rest, open water, and wind breaks. Ethics stay steady: calm handling, clear lanes, and welfare first. Predator and health work are routine, not drama. Lock up before dark. Cover openings with one half inch hardware cloth and use a buried apron. Keep air dry and moving, water clean, and thresholds firm. Quarantine new birds for four weeks. Read eyes, feet, gait, and droppings each day and fix the environment before you reach for cures. The returns are real. Ducks can lay one hundred fifty to two hundred eggs a year. Geese lay thirty to fifty in spring. Geese mow. Ducks lower pest pressure. Bedding and pool water become compost and shrub water. Costs settle when design does the heavy lifting, and the yard runs on quiet, repeatable steps.