How do you keep birds from eating your grass seed?

I thought it would be interesting to know how some of you keep birds away from your newly laid grass seed. I know fleece has been mentioned.
I get a lot of pigeons in my garden as they come to use my birdbaths.

 

I wouldn't use fleece. I used netting when I did the grass here, but I usually spread a bit more seed to counteract birds eating it anyway. Mine was done in June so maybe that helped - it germinated pretty quickly, so the netting wasn't on for long. They could have got underneath if they'd wanted - the dunnocks certainly did, as I had it raised so that birds wouldn't get caught in it. It was to keep certain other animals off more than birds anyway. I've not noticed any problems either if I sow any other little areas that need a boost.
The lawn was certainly very green and dense once it all came through, so they clearly didn't get much seed if they had pinched any. We have loads of wood pigeons here. Probably enough food everywhere else for them anyway at that time.

 

Lessen the risk by pre-sprouting. The less time the seed takes to germinate, the fewer feeds can be taken by birds. It is also thought that post -germinated seed changes flavour as do malted grains.
How to Pre-Germinate Grass Seed in 4 Steps | Turfcareblog

 

Move the bird baths away from the lawn if possible and/or revert to the old method and dot some scarecrows about until your grass seed has germinated and is growing.

 

Maybe you could attach balloons to bamboo canes and dot them around the lawn. If nothing else it will amuse the neighbours

 

I cover the seed with a fine coating of topsoil or compost then firm it down. I've done this for many years and never seen a bird or animal near it.

 

Yes - if it's all correctly applied @Sheal , that compost/soil layer will do the job well.
It's far easier when it's just a patch being improved too, rather than amending a whole lawn, or starting one from scratch, as I was doing about 9 or 10 years ago. Birds would have been the least of the problems, so I couldn't have left all that soil exposed....

 

I also cover the seed with topsoil which keeps birds away, apart from the odd pesky pigeon - I usually add a bit more seed to compensate for their anticipated greed .

 

I think there's a rhyme that goes with sowing seed @Plantminded , but I can't remember it -what a surprise!
Something like 1 for the .....[can't remember that!] 1 for the crow, 1 to rot and 1 to grow. It would be handfuls when it's grass seed, as opposed to single seeds.

 

There's loads of different versions, I guess depending on what you're trying to grow and where you're trying to grow it!

https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/four-seeds-in-a-row/

 

I used tin foil tied around garden canes. Or you could put it on pea sticks too. You can put some sellotape on it to stop it tearing like in a long strip.

When I had to reseed parts I ended up just putting pieces of chicken wire on the top. We had some precut large pieces left from something else so they came in useful

Same it was the big wood pigeons

 

Buy a cat. Our cat keeps birds away.

 

I sow grass seed into plant cells ( A couple of 20 Cell packs) grow the grass on in the
green house then plant out as plug plants. Seems to work great.