Well, dogs are dogs... All animals hunt for food, (even if it is only grass) and that is their instinct. Unfortunately some dogs can do more damage than others.
I'm shocked at the number of people willing to stereo type a breed.... I mean if you've run into 10 specimens of one breed in your life it does NOT make you an expert on the breed.... I bred, trained and showed dogs professionally... And there are only a few breeds I feel comfortable judging as a whole... Funny though, if this were a discussion about people no one would be posting that they wouldn't trust someone because of their religion or skin color....
Anyway, you have a right to defend your property. You should NOT have to purchase more equipment to protect your stock from one animal that belongs to someone else. So I say talk to the neighbors. Explain that your chickens are your pets (if they are) and how much expense is involved in chicken keeping, how much it would cost THEM to replace birds, and also about your legal rights to protect your flock. (I'd also be calling the dog warden and county to find out what legal rights I have in court if it should kill all my birds while I'm away... We know how much these guys cost to get to the egg laying stage, not to mention emotional costs).
I have neighbors with a pit, a rot, and a doberman... They roam my pastures here and there, and they never keep their dogs contained.... Now I raise horses, I have baby colts in the pastures that are worth a great deal of money even in todays economy...I have yet to see them chase a horse, but if I do, I probably will be shooting first and warning later... Thankfully the dogs are in danger of the mares, they'll stomp anything that comes near them!!!