I do not think you are misdiagnosing the problem........chickens are hard on the ground/landscape.so I thought having a chicken tractor would be GOOD for my lawn (fertilizer, aeration, etc). It's been TERRIBLE. Hardly any grass left (it wasn't great to begin with, to be fair).
I'm thinking my yard is just too small -- going back over the same area too frequently, not letting it recover.
I have 4 layers in a 8'x4' tractor. My yard is 50' wide by, maybe 25 feet deep. It's pretty irregular shape and not very even, i'm estimating the usable portion.
thoughts? Should I go with a stationary set up and just have one part of my yard be a mess? Or am I misdiagnosing the problem?
All the scratching kills plant roots quickly, and the poops are very high in nitrogen which can kill plants and make the soil too 'hot' for propagation.
Stationary coop/run might be best for you.
This is best, IMO, for run 'bedding'.
Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992
Will take care of the poops, you can let your yard recover and maybe let them rage a bit on occasion.