I scratch the fertilizer in around each iris. I do it one bed at a time over the course of a couple of days.
There are numerous tree and ground squirrels here...along with any other critter known to be living in this area. The wild turkeys (and squirrels) destroy beds looking for the Alfalfa. If I didn't work the alfalfa into the ground, it brought in the rabbits too. I don't know what critters search for the bone meal, but they do and did.
