A small flock of feather-footed chickens has become an unlikely attraction at one of Istanbul’s busiest public transport hubs, where taxi minibus drivers have cared for the birds for nearly two years.
Drivers operating on the Cevizlibağ-Taksim route have turned a landscaped median at the intersection of metrobus, tram, minibus and taxi-minibus stops into an unusual home for the chickens.
The fenced area next to a container used by drivers as a rest area and operations office is home to five hens, one rooster and three chicks. The drivers also tend to eggs in incubation and occasionally share the tiny eggs, which are about the size of quail eggs.
The birds have become a familiar sight for thousands of commuters passing through the transport hub each day. While some people pause to watch them on their way to catch public transport, others feed them with bread and corn.
Every evening, the drivers place the chickens in a makeshift coop fashioned from a box and cover it before releasing them back into the green space the following morning. The birds rarely leave the enclosed area and have become a favorite among commuters and nearby workers.
“We keep them as a hobby,” driver Muhammed Enes Kanayran said. “People are happy when they see them and enjoy holding the chicks. Some ask for the eggs or help feed the birds. There are even people who like them so much that they have tried to steal them,” he said, adding that drivers provide round-the-clock care for the flock.
Another driver, Ali Akdenizli, who has worked at the stop since 2008, said drivers take turns looking after the birds. “Whoever has free time fills their water and gives them food. Children passing by watch them and get excited.”
Akdenizli also recalled that one of the chickens had once been carried away by a passerby before another driver spotted the bird on the road and brought it back. He added that another chicken was killed after being hit by a tram.
Station supervisor Ahmet Udun said caring for the chickens helps relieve the drivers’ stress. “People waiting for the minibuses see the chickens, and it reminds them of village life. Children come and pet them. They are easy to care for — we give them wheat and greens. They never run away
because this breed rarely leaves its area. We get excited whenever new chicks hatch. How could we not? They’re our little ones,” he said.
