I've got some maggoty problems in my
yard: cherry maggot, walnut husk fly, and
apple maggot in the
compost (I scout apples from around the whole town, it may not be wise, but I then
compost all the cores or parts I don't use in my own compost).
Luckily, though, we also have
chickens. They're supposed to be able to dig up the offending
maggots that live in the ground through the winter. BUT we only have six
chickens, and tend to let them out for afternoon hours when we remember it
(the hens lay eggs in the morning, so we'd like for them to do that in the nest boxes)
Will that be enough to prevent maggot from getting back into the cherries for next year's crop?
My question is: are those
chickens Really into finding maggots? or
should I
fence them off in areas with a lot of
fruit fall to encourage them to scratch at the soil relentlessly?