Info On Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, & Other Poultry.
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We are getting chickens, ducks, and geese (26 chickens, 2 of which are roosters; 1 drake, 2 ducks; 1 gander, and 2 geese).

Can we house the ducks and geese with the chickens? We have a 10 x 10 gambrel style shed and are building our run.

We live in a forested area with 2 streams and a pond around us, but unfortunately we also have coyotes, hawks, racoons, owls, and eagles, just to name a few.

Will the geese and ducks be happy in the run, or do they need to free range during the day? I can just see those ducks running down to the creeks and pond and getting eaten up by the coyotes (the creeks and pond are in the woods).

Anybody have any suggestions?

With such a rich selection of predators the only way to keep these birds alive would be to build a predator-proof aviary(as in Zoos).
What will you feed your geese with? They like to go around and eat grass. Both geese and ducks need/love to bathe somewhere, and they can make a lot of mess(mud), not good for chickens. Besides, drakes and roosters will fight for dominance with each other.

So I'm guessing the answer is no. There are a lot of books that tell you how to build chicken coops, but I'm danged if I can find any that tell you how to build housing for geese and chickens. They obviously have to have somewhere to sleep and a place to keep them safe from predators at night.

Any ideas? I have wanted chicken, geese, and ducks all my life, and I am so excited about this. I just want to be sure we do things properly.

In the old days in Europe people kept all kinds of animals in one building, but there was much more place for that. I recall when I was a child my grandmother had chickens roosting under the ceiling next to the cows and horses, and the ducks and geese were on the floor. But during the day they all went in their own direction minding their own business, so no big problems. The only predators were dogs and hawks(now and then). So it is not always impossible, but I imagine in your case it would be impractical.

Don't give up on the housing...but consider things as you go along. Geese & ducks just need a spot to sleep at night & they don't roost, as chickens do. So, if the chickens are up off the floor & STAY there (they can be nosey!), then you shouldn't have too much trouble. Ganders & drakes tend to dominate...let them w/their own species. They grow faster than the chicks so as babies, you will see this dominance long before they try to kill the others off. Knowing you've wanted these forever...you will be perched watching them a lot, I suspect. You only need 1 gander and one drak for the flock you intend to keep. And one rooster will suffice for your girls. Some ducks LIVE in water whereas others just want to bath and get out. Geese ARE grass eaters...so the run idea won't be so good for them. If you fenced in an area that's grassy, they will keep it mowed down! Ducks can manage in the run w/either the geese or chickens but they tend to be mud-daubbers, again, depending on the breed of duck. They will try to bathe in whatever water's available to them! Have fun and just take it easy. Make it work for you!

Thank you so much! Very much appreciated...keep those words of wisdom coming....

so, i'm new to ducks too. am an old hand at chix, turkeys and geese. ducks don't need to all be in pairs? you get one drake? drakes will face off like roosties? also, when ordering ducklings are there survival issues like with turkeys? so order more ducklings than you want actual ducks? thanks for your help!

Can ducklings and chicks be housed together? I have 8 chicks, and ordered 4 ducklings, but only 1 came. I put her in with my chicks so she wouldn't be lonely, but I am concerned about her different nutritional needs. I know that ducklings need extra niacin, but if I add it to the feed or water, will it be harmful to my baby chickens?

My ducks and hens roam together most of the time, but although I lock the hens in at night, the ducks are left out in the orchard. We don't however have the predators that you might have.
We have Australian brushtailed possums, Australian hawks, hedgehogs, rats and ferrets which could take a small bird, the ferret being the worst, but we seldom see those. Rats I put bait out for, Possums tend to prey on fledglings and eggs of small birds and some of our native ground birds, and hawks wont tackle a grown hen or rooster. Our birds are relatively safe during the day to be out.