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Family crows for backyard farming

A quartet of siblings are taking their passion for raising chickens from the backyard to the silver screen.
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Siblings Emma, Dania, Caleb and Annika are organizing a special Otter Flying Feathers 4H Club showing of the Mad City Chickens documentary at Clova Theatre, Sunday, May 12, 4 p.m.

A quartet of siblings are taking their passion for raising chickens from the backyard to the silver screen.

As part of her Otter Flying Feathers 4H club self-directed project this year, Emma Giesbrecht is coordinating a movie fundraiser event for her 4-H club of the movie documentary “Mad City Chickens.”

Mad City Chickens is a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical, look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From experts and authors to a rescued landfill chicken or an inexperienced family that takes the poultry plunge, it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard farming.

Emma is a 13-year-old homeschooler who joined 4-H four years ago. She joined because a friend invited her. None of her family knew that it would become such a vital part of who she is. She loves her chickens. They are pets to her. She has become so passionate about chickens and farming and wants to make it possible for all to learn about farming, whether they live on farms or whether they live in residential areas.

Emma is now in her fourth year of 4H and chicken raising, and her siblings have since joined her. Annika, 11, Caleb, 10 and Dania, eight, live in a residential area of Brookswood and so they keep their chickens at the farm of Megan Dykeman, nearby in south Langley. Dykeman, a Langley school trustee, is also the 4H club's leader and has a large selection of poultry which the Giesbrecht children also help look after when Dykeman is away from the farm.

Emma started a Facebook group called “Chickens for Langley” in an attempt to help educate people about chickens. Here is the link to the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/296925850418875/?fref=ts

Emma wanted to bring the movie “Mad City Chickens” to Langley so everyone could see what raising chickens is all about. Together with her 4H club, she is hosting a fundraising movie event at the Clova Theatre in Cloverdale on Sunday, May 12 at 4 p.m. Suggested donation is $3 per person, or $10 per family.

Here is the link to the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/304655949660502/