How to Keep Birds From Eating Grass Seeds: 10 Humane Ways

We all love birds, but when we’re trying to grow grass in our yards, they can quickly become a nuisance. It’s not that they’re trying to thwart your efforts, of course; they’re just hungry and grass seeds look delicious.

We don’t want to harm our feathered friends, but we need to give our grass time to grow before inviting them back to our yard. This guide highlights 10 different ways that you can protect the grass seed in your yard until it has a chance to take root.

The 10 Humane Ways to Keep Birds From Eating Grass Seeds

1. Use a Repellant Net

If you’re looking for the most effective way to keep birds from eating grass seed, this is it. A repellant net doesn’t do anything to harm or even annoy birds, but it keeps them from reaching the seeds.

Even better, it enables water and sunlight to reach the seeds for optimal growth. You also get to keep the repellant net for future jobs, making it a one-time cost. That said, it is a bit expensive, so it might not be a feasible solution for large jobs.

2. Use Coated Seeds

This is probably the easiest way to keep birds away from your new grass seeds. Coated seeds have a special coating that won’t harm any birds that eat them, but the birds don’t like the taste.

They’re a bit more expensive than regular grass seeds, but when you compare the cost to other solutions, it’s still on the more affordable side of things.

However, if you are in an area where the birds are hurting for food, they might eat the seeds even though they don’t like the way that they taste.

3. Put Out Fake Owls or Hawks

Scarecrows help protect crops on farms, and fake owls or hawks might be just what you need to keep birds away from your grass seed. However, the key here is that the birds need to believe that the owls or hawks are lifelike, and they’re not always easily fooled.

Therefore, this is not always the most effective method for keeping birds away from your grass seeds. Still, if you like the look of these decorations, there’s no harm in getting a few and seeing if they help!

4. Use Reflective Tape

Birds don’t like the way that bright objects shine in their eyes, so with reflective tape, you can keep most birds away from your grass seeds.

Reflective tape doesn’t cost much and is easy to set up, but on cloudy days, you won’t get the results that you want. Still, for how easy it is to set up and how affordable it is, it’s well worth putting out as an extra deterrent.

5. Put Up Feeders

Birds need to eat, and getting grass seeds from the ground isn’t always the easiest task. If you put up a few feeders away from the area where you’re trying to grow grass, they might just head over there for an easier meal.

The downside is that you are attracting more birds, so it can just end up making the problem worse. Still, you get to see many beautiful birds with these feeders, and that’s a perk all on its own!

6. Put Up Wind Chimes

Birds use their auditory senses to help keep them away from predators, so they don’t like hanging out in noisy areas. Wind chimes are a great way to scare off birds without actually putting them in any danger.

You also get to listen to the beautiful sound of the wind chimes, and many of them come in beautiful shiny designs that can liven up your yard. This way, you can get both auditory and visual deterrents to help protect your grass seeds.

Just keep in mind that wind chimes don’t work without wind, so it’s not 100% effective.

7. Cover It With Burlap

If you don’t want to spend as much on a repellant net, another option that you have is to cover the area with burlap. It’s an extremely effective method for keeping birds away, but once the grass starts to sprout, you need to remove the burlap, so the grass has plenty of access to water and sunlight.

It’s not the best for large areas, but it is more cost-effective than repellant nets.

8. Put Out a Motion-Activated Sprinkler

Motion in general can scare birds off, but motion that sends water flying at them is even more effective. That’s why motion-activated water sprinklers are a phenomenal way of keeping birds away from grass seeds.

An added perk of these systems is that you water the grass too, which helps it grow even faster. But these systems are typically more expensive than other deterrents and they can be a bit more challenging to set up if you want in-ground motion-activated sprinklers.

9. Put Up Shiny Swirls

Reflective tape can keep birds away from grass seed, and shiny swirls work in the same way. However, shiny swirly devices often spin, and this movement makes them even more effective at keeping birds away.

You also get to enjoy these decorative pieces out in your yard, which is a real win-win when you’re trying to grow grass.

10. Add Mulch or Straw

Adding mulch or straw to the area is extremely effective, but it also leaves a mess that you will need to clean up afterward without damaging the new grass.

It can also be a pain to set up, and purchasing large amounts of mulch or straw can be expensive, especially considering that you will need to get rid of it afterward.

It’s not our favorite method, but in a pinch, it can work wonders.

Conclusion

Now that you know a few tricks for keeping birds away from your grass seed, it’s up to you to do the hard work of applying these methods.

Just remember that after the grass comes in, you can make your yard a great place for birds to hang out, so you can view them throughout the year when you’re not trying to grow grass!

See also:

• How to Keep Birds From Eating Your Cherries (8 Humane Ways)
• How to Keep Birds from Eating Your Blackberries (5 Humane Ways)
• How To Keep Hawks Away From Your Yard (7 Simple Tips)

Featured Image Credit: marliesplatvoet, Pixabay