Two chicken's play Richard's 'Fiona' in the film - cast and crew named them 'Shy' and 'Confident' on set. When filming was finished Shy and Confident were adopted by the farm locations real owners, and now live there permanently.
Director Joe Stephenson had Scott Chambers and Morgan Watkins, who play brothers in the film, write biographies from the perspective of their characters. For instance, Stephenson would propose a shared event: say, a familial argument, and have Chambers and Watkins describe their respective reactions. This process is attributed to helping them gain a keener understanding of their roles.