What do you need to hatch quail eggs as a beginner and how much will it cost?

[FloorCandy]

Is craiglist reliable since I heard stories of people getting robbed/beaten up when buying/selling in craiglist

When I sell on craigslist, I insist on meeting in a very public, high traffic place, a McDonald’s parking lot in a big strip mall shopping center. I don’t meet after 6 pm, or before 10 am. Don’t go anywhere with them, don’t go to someone’s house, and bring someone else with you. Be sure not to bring extra cash.

 

[NY Coturnix]

Reading through this thread, if you're really only looking for 4 to 5 quail I have to agree with what's been said. If you have a Craigslist option do that. Check Facebook marketplace in your area. Meet at McDonalds parking lot if you're nervous. You can either get day old chicks or even started quail. Even at $6 a piece you'd be way ahead of buying an incubator, eggs, and everything else that goes with hatching to only keep 4 or 5.

If you want to hatch then go for it. Just know it's very addicting and stopping at 4 may be hard.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[NY Coturnix]

When I sell on craigslist, I insist on meeting in a very public, high traffic place, a McDonald’s parking lot in a big strip mall shopping center. I don’t meet after 6 pm, or before 10 am. Don’t go anywhere with them, don’t go to someone’s house, and bring someone else with you. Be sure not to bring extra cash.

LOL I was hit submit at the same time you did. McDonalds parking lot

 

[Quail beginner]

When I sell on craigslist, I insist on meeting in a very public, high traffic place, a McDonald’s parking lot in a big strip mall shopping center. I don’t meet after 6 pm, or before 10 am. Don’t go anywhere with them, don’t go to someone’s house, and bring someone else with you. Be sure not to bring extra cash.

LOL I was hit submit at the same time you did. McDonalds parking lot

What should you check for quail chicks if you buy them from craiglist to avoid them being sick and dying a few hours or days after getting them or infecting and killing all chicks since it happened to me when I had a pet cockatoo and I want it to have a partner and bought a cockatoo from a store and a few days later both died

 

[FloorCandy]

What should you check for quail chicks if you buy them from craiglist to avoid them being sick and dying a few hours or days after getting them or infecting and killing all chicks since it happened to me when I had a pet cockatoo and I want it to have a partner and bought a cockatoo from a store and a few days later both died

The pics in the ad should show clean healthy adults and chicks in clean setups. You should ask the seller if they incubated the eggs inside and away from any other adult birds. Chicks that have been hatched and raised in clean, sanitary incubators and brooders, and that have never had contact with adult birds should be free of infectious disease as long as the breeder observed proper quarantine like caring for the indoor chicks first before having contact with the others, hand washing, sanitizing equipment, and changing clothes before touching chicks, if they’ve had contact with the adults.

Most people on CL will not be NPIP certified, and tbh the certification itself means very little in gamebirds, but it is nice to know they’ve been inspected at some point. However, I’ve seen photos in advertisements that are horrid and the people claim to be NPIP.

 

[Floof]

Look for clear eyes and nose, clean feathers (not tattered), and no sneezing or wheezing. If you have the opportunity to get sexed adults or at least a couple weeks old (my jumbo browns could be sexed by color by week 2 or 3) then you can be sure you have the right ratio for happy quail.