Why are battery chickens called battery chickens?

Answer 1

They are called battery chickens because they have been reared and kept in cages - normally a battery farm will consist of row after row of small cages which hardly give the hens room to move but do leave them enough room to eat and lay eggs.

Why is it called a battery? Well, a 'battery of something' can be used as a way to describe a large number of that something all in one place.. . as in artillery battery, an organized group of artillery pieces, or in Chess, where a battery is a tactic consisting of placing two or more pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal.

In the case of battery hens, they've been kept in one of a battery of cages.

Answer 2

Battery chickens are called so because they are typically raised in battery cages, which are small wire enclosures used in intensive farming to confine multiple chickens. The term "battery" refers to the arrangement of these cages in tiers or rows, similar to the cells in a battery. This intensive confinement system is often criticized for the inhumane treatment of the chickens.