How To Keep Birds From Eating Grass Seed? 6 Easy Ways To Keep In Your Mind

Using Bird Deterrents or Scare The Birds Away

Birds easily get frightened by looking at the objects that make peculiar sounds and whirl around and this can be very advantageous for you if you are planning to grow a new lawn from the seeds. You can also scare them away. Birds get scared very easily, if you go near them, they try to fly away from you in an instant.

You should make sure that the placements of the deterrents are rearranged occasionally. This will ensure that the birds don’t get used to them and understand that deterrents aren’t a threat. Here are some of the things that you can try out for scaring the birds:

Sow Extra or Bird Repellent Seeds

The seeds for repelling the birds are sold at the home improvement and garden stores. It has a coating of a thing, which has a taste that the birds don’t like. All you need is to sow these seeds in your lawn so that you can prevent birds from spoiling the lawn.

The seed planter automatically arranges seeds for ideal intervals. It is designed for easy, efficient and effective planting. Below is the comparison table of top 3 best seed planter which will help you quickly make the best choice.

Fake Predators

Birds are not even seen near the areas where they see that predators have been set up for them. A hawk sitting on the fence or a scarecrow can help you in keeping the birds away. Although if the predators stay in the same position for several days, then there is a chance that the birds will easily come to know that a fake predator has been set up to keep them away from eating grass seeds. So, it is advisable for you to change the position of fake predators after 2-3 days.

Decoy predator is another solution for keeping the starving birds away from the grass. Birds will be ready to do anything for getting a decent meal but they will not do anything because of which they will have to risk their feathers. Keeping these decoys in the corners or the center of the lawn can stop the birds from going close to the grass seeds.

Set Up Distractions

1. Food Distractions

By setting up distraction means diverting the attention of the birds. You can stop the birds from eating the grass seeds by tricking them to eat something else. Keep the bird feeders in the areas that are clearly visible, so that the birds try to reach out to it rather than going for the grass seeds. Provide them with bird seeds and water so that their attention remains on the bird feeder rather than the seeds in your lawn.

2. Noise Distractions

Birds generally prefer to be in the areas that are calm and quiet, which is why you see a flock of birds flying up early in the morning before the kids go out to play. When your kids go outside to play in the garden, the birds go away because of the noise. You should use this for your advantage to keep the birds from eating grass seeds. Noisy sounds scare the birds away. Some of the noisy things that you can use are:

Use Mulch for Protecting Seeds

Mulching is the widely-used as well as the oldest ways of preventing the birds from eating up the grass seeds. It does not only protect the seeds from the birds but also prevents the seeds from washing away. Other than that, it helps in seed germination.

Mulching involves the use of biodegradable items like straw, compost, cut grass, chips of barks of the tree. Then, it is laid on the soil in the form of organic sheets. Mulch is a covering that protects the seeds from bugs and birds. You can use mulch for hiding the grass seeds. Also, ensure that the birds aren’t able to see the grass seeds.

Cover The Seeds

Cover the portion where you have planted the seeds using the transparent tarp. It is important for you to ensure that the entire area is covered. Wire U-pins can be used for ensuring that the tarp is in its place so that the covering you use does not get blown up by the wind. Once the seeds begin to germinate or sprout, then remove the covering for the growth of the grass.

Generally, if there are heavy winds in your yard area and the birds are intelligent enough to peck or scrape the mulch aside, then you must use netting or floating seed cover. This technique for protecting the seeds is great as it allows the light to fall on the seeds’ top. Keep the netting at least three inches above the lawn as it will refrain the birds from making any holes.

Things Required for Keeping The Birds Away From Grass Seeds

Mentioned below are some of the things that you are going to require for protecting the grass from the birds:

1. Straw​

This is one of the easiest as well as the common methods of keeping the birds away from seeds. All you are required to do is to lay a layer of straw over the grass seeds. It is going to cover around three-fourths of the total seeds. The straw is required to be kept until the seed germinates. After that, you need to remove the straws either by using your hand or rake. Sunlight is important for the growth of the sprouts, therefore you must take out the straw.

2. Burlap Sheets​

Another thing that you are going to need for protecting the seeds from the birds is burlap sheets. This sheet allows the sunlight, water, and heat to reach the areas underneath the soil, which helps in seed germination. This type of covering protection for seeds is great in the areas where there is a lot of wind.

There is a chance that the straw can get blown away but if you make use of the covering of burlap, then all you have to do is to lay the sheets on the ground over the seeds. After that, make use of the wire U-pins for laying down the burlap. Once the seeds start germinating, take out the burlap.

3. Mylar Tape​

There are certain homeowners who make use of the metallic Mylar tape as it flashes when the sunlight falls on it and also moves. Its movement can scare the birds away. This combination of the metallic Mylar tape is great for frightening the birds. For using this tape, you are required to keep some posts in your surrounding area.