(Wine-Searcher) - Forget horses plowing between vines, the latest must-have in vineyard maintenance is chickens. Leading the way is a Loire Valley producer who has just introduced 250 chickens to an acre of his vineyard to help with the upkeep.

Philippe Boucard, a grape grower in the cabernet franc-producing appellation of Bourgeuil, has fenced off a part of his vineyard to host the chickens and prevent any foxes from attacking the birds.

“The chickens scratch and aerate the soil, mow, eat grass and insects. They will be doing a lot of the work for me,” said Boucard.

The chickens have taken well to their new home, but the grower realizes he will have to keep an eye on them. “I’ll have to be very careful when the grapes start to mature,” he said. “They might be too tempting for the birds” – leaving Boucard with no fruit on the vines. When that time comes, he will relocate the chickens to their alternative accommodation – a nearby pen.

However, the vineyard is not some kind of chicken utopia. Boucard has teamed up with a local restaurant owner in the village of Ingrandes de Touraine who will use the birds' free-range eggs in his dishes. The chickens themselves will eventually end up in the oven. 

The restaurateur, Belgian-born Simon Vincent, said: “I intend to offer quality chicken to my customers because the animals have had the freedom to roam.