Welp, I got my puppy. After consulting with a trainer, I put her in with the chickens from day 1 to sleep and she only visits with me for treats, love and training.
She told me "The biggest mistake people make getting small livestock guardian dogs, is that they bond them to people and teach them to respect the livestock. You have to bond them to the livestock and teach them to respect people if you want them to actually own their jobs. The best way to do that is simple immersion. Get her in there as fast as possible, with them as much as possible, in the safest way possible until she can be free."
Since she has shown absolutely no aggressive tendencies toward the birds, we're trying free living in their pen already. They're as big/bigger than her, so she's got to suck up to them. Hopefully this will prevent bird deaths as she outgrows them. I won't be mad at her if she kills one, but I hope she doesn't.
