shutting hens in for the night

To repeat some advice recently given on here, it seems a torch in their hut will draw them in. With my own, I've only had two lots, I find they go in when the light is going. So I wait until then as it is a lot less hassle than chasing them around. But I suppose they are all different.

Sometimes the weather can have an effect on how late they stay up too.  If you have a fine day and a long fine or warm bright evening they will stay up for bit longer.  If the weather is foul, raining etc then they will be ready to go to bed earlier than they normally would.  But from experiece, I can say they do not like being directed to bed when they are still quite awake and not ready to do so.  You will be chasing them for ages and loose.  If you have to chase them in these circumstances, wait half hour and they may all be in by the time you come back.  If it is dark they can usually be picked up for where they are huddled up and put in coop.  For getting them in well before dark, resort to blackmail by chucking in the coop a bit of corn or treat.  Routine is the key for training them if you always are trying them to go to bed before they want.  Hope these ramblings are of some help.

We have had our 3 light sussex for 1 week and the first 2 nights, we picked them up and put them in, but over the next few days we have "encouraged" them into the coop by themselves.
This usually involves one or both of my kids following them, to shepherd them in the right direction, some nights it takes a few minutes, other nights, they go in straight away!

Thanks for all the advice, its pretty much what we had been trying, the last two evenings we managed to get 3 out of 4 in but the black one hid and we dont know where!! we did look funny searching for her with a torch at about midnight, both mornings she was wandering around waiting for her mates to be let out, tonight for the first time they have all gone in with just a little coaxing with feed, but now we can hear them squabbling so are just hoping they will all be ok in the morning.

They usually are looking for somewhere warm and safe when it gets dark, and so bedtime gets later in the summer - possibly never in the Hebrides!?
If no predators, closing the pophole really just cuts down on drafts, but they are pretty tough really.
I suppose a feral cat may take a sleeping chicken, but its unlikely IMO.

Try one of those all in one units for lighting sheds?
http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/solar-technology/solar-mate-05/?