It's funny---my dog is the sweetest dog, too. Sweet, sweet, sweet puppy. A very small lab. Not a mean bone in her body. All she wants is to be petted or to be fed. But she thinks about food constantly, unfortunately, as do most labs. So at least nothing is wasted when she kills those chickens---eats every morsel of them except the feathers. She seriously sees them as a food source. She knows she's naughty when she does it. I take one look at the feathers, then I look at her. She drops her head, puts her tail between her legs, and walks away looking extremely extremely guilty. I can't seem to get her to stop doing it if a chicken is on the loose. The only cure is a better fence, and keeping their wings clipped.
She is friendly with some of the hens----she likes the bigger breeds, and leaves them alone. She has only gone after the skinnier, more wild breeds. So my additional cure is that I am sticking to the larger bodied, heavy layer breeds for now on. (i.e., brahmas, rhode island reds, cochins etc). Avoiding polish crested and many other small bodied types for that reason. (Polish crested are always at the bottom of the pecking order also, and the other hens always peck their head feathers relentlessly. I've had that happen will all 3 polish crested that I've had).
I've also had two chickens killed by an owl or other bird of prey. "Necropsies" done by me show talon marks on the bodies and only the heads eaten.
