This idiom advises against assuming success or planning based on uncertain outcomes, warning that premature optimism can lead to disappointment. It suggests waiting until results are confirmed, as unhatched eggs may not yield chicks. The phrase is used in financial, personal, or strategic contexts to promote caution and realism, often with a prudent or slightly scolding tone, emphasizing the unpredictability of future events and the need for patience.

The phrase originates from Aesop’s fable *The Milkmaid and Her Pail* (6th century BCE), where a girl dreams of wealth from unhatched eggs, only to spill her milk. It appeared in English by the 16th century, with Thomas Howell’s 1570 *New Sonnets* using ‘Count not thy chickens that unhatched be.’ Samuel Butler’s *Hudibras* (1663) popularized the modern form. The proverb reflects agrarian life, where egg hatching was uncertain, and gained traction in the 19th century, as seen in Jane Austen’s novels, during debates over speculative investments. Its universal wisdom ensured its spread across English-speaking cultures.