I DID IT!! 83% First time! THANK YOU TO ALL HERE!!!

Please bear with me as my husband and I were just thrilled that we tried our first incubation and ended up (so far) with 83% hatch rate (two are still in 'bator til I know they're dry and will make it). Set 18 eggs, 15 hatched (YES, I went ahead and 'helped' the last two - next time I WILL NOT open the box to do 'this and that' at the end of the hatch, they got too dry). I also have one little one with splayed legs - they are now taped and he's in a bowl with dry wash cloth and bedding - just til he will quit trying to walk til they're strong enough to hold him. I wanted to also say 'THANK YOU' for all the messages I've read on these boards helping us with everything from the very start. And it is true that too little humidity during 1-18 days is better than too much. We have a Hova Bator Incubator 1602-N with turner and I only added a little water when I remembered to as I candled them on days 7 and 14. We then added a lot on day 19. I did have a little problem getting the temperature to hold steady, but it never fluctuated more than 2 degrees. Most of the time it was around 100, though. I'm now going to clean the incubator and keep collecting eggs til we can fill it and see what happens this time.... Again. BLESS YOU ALL for the wonderful information I've found here!

Kathy