Bedtime problems!

If it's not one thing it's another! The bullying has all but stopped, Luci is holding her own but now it's chaos at bedtime! For safety/health reasons I seperated my new girls to start with so I ended up with 2 coops of girls (oh not forgetting Worzel my boy!) Now all of the birds are mixing freely I want to get them into one coop. Nice and warm and cuddled up ready for the winter months. My original girls and Worz are no problem, they have always taken themselves off to bed when ready. For the last 2 nights I shut "their" coop off and they all toddled off nicely into the winter coop! (hurrah!) However.... the newbies are a nightmare! Kelly (the rescued Poand) never used a coop before, she roosted in a tree in the previous owners (I use that term loosley - tormentors!!) filthy yard. I can not get her to voluntarily go into the coop most eves. Its hit and miss, some times in she goes and settles but only after about an hour of going round looking for places to roost! Yesterday she managed the great escape over the garden fence even though she is wing clipped! She jumps up on anything to get up high! Misty (mummy blue poland) also wanders around looking for somewhere to roost. Little Luci has never gone into the coop by herself, I always have to end up holding her until I've got all the rest settled then pop her in last! I'm spending on average 2  1/2 hours each eve bantam watching in the garden. Grabbing Kelly + Misty and repeatedly shoving them in the coop!!! I have to shut the pop hole door to keep them in otherwise they just escape! So in the meantime while they are getting settled my original girlies are going do-lally because they want to start to settle and can't get in! All 6 hens + Worzel all go to bed at different times, Kelly wants to go first normally first signs about 5pm and Patsy one of my goldlaced Polands is the last to go in by herself usuallly about 7.30. Then I have to wait and put little Luci in last! How can I get Kelly and Misty used to going into a coop instead of roosting? If I coud just get them to go in it would be heaven and I could get my evenings back to spend with my lonely chicken jealous fiance!!!!! Once they are all in there are no real problems, a bit of scuffling while they all find their place to settle then it's bantam peace and quiet! I don't relish the thought of sitting out every evening thru the cold wet winter nights playing "put-me-to-bed!"  It's been 2 weeks now and no improvement!! aaaagghh!!

I would also advise you to ask you lovely, kind, helpful fiance to come and help with the bed time routine. Work on the basis that it's a 'together' activity. This is an activity that he needs to know about so that he learns his place just like my husband and children. Way down the list!!!

I found bedtime got easier when I went with their timing not mine: they gradually put themselves to bed around dusk, when they are ready.

If you waited until it was dark enough for all the coop-birds to have gone to bed, you could then use torch & broom/fiance/steps (or any combination of these options!) to dislodge sleepy tree-birds.

If you try to put them in before they are really ready, you wind them up and create hassle.  Think of putting a toddler to bed a bit early because the babysitter is coming and you want to go out - very similar performance of in one door & out the other!

Is there any way you can keep them more confined closer to bed time so they have nowhere else to go except into the coop?  This worked with my pullets.  I built a temporary fence out of bamboo garden stakes and bird netting.  Perhaps you could make a smaller run and scatter their evening snack in there to lure them in.