The Best Deterrents to Keep Pesky Birds Away from Plants

You might be starting to get excited about the little seedlings popping up around your garden–the lettuce, the beets, and the other young vegetables–but guess what? The birds are just as excited as you are, and they would like to get their lunch!

Instead of yelling at the birds to go away, which is sadly often my first line of defence, here are some better methods of keeping the birds away from your precious vegetables and flowers!

A Zone 3 garden with spring seedlings, fencing to keep birds away, dried leaf mulch, and landscape fabric--a high tunnel with rain buckets in the background.

5 ways to keep birds away from plants

1. Bird Blinder Repellent Pinwheels

Some people swear by bird-deterrent pinwheels and other whirligigs. I find they only work for about a week, and then the birds get smart and are no longer deterred. If you want to try them out, they are available at dollar stores, home and garden centres, and most hypermarkets.

A colorful pinwheel with heart-shaped blades stands in a garden bed. The blades are in various bright colors including green, red, blue, and orange. Surrounding the pinwheel are flowers and plants, with potted plants and a wooden structure in the background.

2. Old CDs and DVDs

Don’t throw these out! Nobody wants them at the thrift store anyway, so just tie a couple up with string and hang them on a post near your vegetables. The reflecting light (similar to the pinwheels), should deter the birds. I have found my birds are also a bit too smart from these after a point, but again I’ve heard many people have had continued success with them.

A garden bed with a wire mesh covering in the center, protecting young plants on the right side. The left section has more mature, taller plants. In the background, a row of various garden tools and containers can be seen on the right. The area is surrounded by greenery.

3. A Simple Fence

If you’re trying to keep out chickens and other birds that are not in the air, just a simple fence will do. The fence could be cow panel or hog panel, or it could be chicken wire or that green plastic stuff that’s probably meant as a pea trellis. As long as you have stakes and you can secure around that area, it’s usually enough to keep out chickens.

For stakes, you can use bamboo poles, rebar, metal poles, wooden stakes, plastic stakes for hortonova netting, or whatever you’ve got lying around! You might find if your fencing is too wide, they could get in, but when my chickens see that fence, they don’t try to go in there unless they are really desperate for food.

A gardening plot enclosed by green and gray mesh fencing in a wooded area with fresh green trees. The plot contains a section of tilled soil and small plants, with tools and a bucket visible in the background.

4. A Chicken Wire Hoop House

I find that this option and the next one on this list are the most secure. My chickens have a tendency to eat seeds after they are directly seeded, and if it’s not them, it’s mice or some other pest. Depending on your situation, you might need a finer mesh for those smaller critters, but setting this up is pretty basic. All you have to do is put your hoops in the ground and drape the chicken wire or mesh on top of them.

A garden with rows of young plants and a fallen wire mesh structure. The garden is surrounded by lush green trees, and a potted plant can be seen in the background. The ground is covered in mulch and some black covering.

5. Traditional Row Cover

This is very similar to the last option, but it also provides additional bug protection! You can use frost fabric, shade cloth, or bug fabric, depending on what you have on hand or what other sort of protection your flowers and vegetables need. The only bad part about this one is that you have to take it off when it rains and remember to replace it when the rain lets up!

A wooden raised garden bed covered with black mesh netting, supported by arched rods. The bed is on black ground cover with green grass and trees in the background. The setup is likely used for protecting plants from pests and weather.

Learn how to put together a bird-repellent hoop house for cheap here!

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Happy gardening!