Let’s continue by discussing the details of how, why, and when to range animals under fruit and nut trees. We spoke to the why, that is to interrupt the pest cycle so that you are the ones enjoying the ripening fruit instead of a rotting larvae filled ball of mush.
Next is the how. When ranging small livestock like chickens I like to use electric fencing to control their movements. If I have a few apple trees that are being severely affected by plum curculio I can move my birds under and around those particular trees to help even the score. Any portable fencing can be used that will keep your animals confined. I go with electric netting because my birds respect the shock and it can be used for other animals as well. Think pigs, goats, sheep, geese, turkeys, ducks, guiena fowl, etc. rotated through your trees or particular tree with pest pressure.
Bringing in animals to disrupt pests needs to be done in a timely manner. Most pests will breed in the fruit itself or on leaves and branches of the trees. Damaged fruit from pest larvae will drop to the ground and will need to be cleaned up. This is where your animals can help. Fruit drops usually happen during the spring or early summer. Rotating your animals through your orchard at these times of year will help keep the ground underneath your trees clean.
You can also use animals to disrupt the pest cycle by bring them back in after all the fruit is gone and the trees are dormant. The best time to do this is usually early to late fall. At this point I like to bring in geese to eat all the grass around the base of my fruit trees. Larger animals like sheep, goats, and cows are great for this as well. Just be keep in mind you are doing this to help your fruit trees. Larger animals can do more damage to young fruit trees so be sure to protect your trees. Once your geese have shorten the grass can bring chickens, ducks, and guiena fowl in to scratch, dig, and peck for any leftover larvae or pests. This combination leaves your orchard floor clean and relatively pest free. It also eliminates any potential rodent winter housing under or around your trees. Once late fall gives way to colder temperatures I will more my animals out of the orchard and into their winter housing.
The final step in this pest elimination plan is to bring animals back into fruit trees in early spring. The timing on this is different for everyone but it is usually best to move animals back under your trees just as the first signs of spring arrive. At this point any pests that overwintered in the ground will be coming out looking for a meal. Again chickens help in scratching up these pests and really curtailing the population that can make it back to affect your fruit. Young feeder pigs make great additions to the pest disruption crew as well. Young pigs, still small enough to not damage your trees, love to root through your orchard floor searching out bugs, insects, and larvae, essentially all the pests you are looking to get rid of!
As far as duration of leaving your animals in your orchard it can vary greatly by type and size of the animals, how many animals, and what seasons you are in. 10 chickens and 10 feeder pigs will clean through 10 trees way faster than 5 chickens and 2 feeder pigs. Always use your senses to make the call on when to move your animals from a certain area. If you are new to using animals for pest control start slowly at first. Move a few smaller animals in and see how it goes. If you want to move on to larger animals make sure you are there to supervise them should any of your pigs or goats become unruly.
Do you have experience or questions about using animals as pest disruptors in your fruit trees? If so we would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or email us at northeastedible @ gmail.com. Remember to subscribe to our email list to stay up to date on all things edible!