How do I get the light off in the coop? They are scared of the dark.

[3riverschick]

When we moved our chickens outside it was still cold at night so we put a heat light out in the coop. We have since switched to a 40 w. bulb to make it a little dimmer. Our problem is every time I try to turn the light out in the evening (it is off during the day) they all freak out--not to mention, we can't get them into the coop at night if it is dark in the coop. What do I do?

Ok, here's what I did. I went to Lowe's and bought a Portofino solar light for 17.98. Screwed it to the outside of the coop so the light shown into the window. It comes on at night and lasts for a bunch of hours. Goes off in the morning. No electric bill, no light monitoring. It gives just enough light so the chickens can see each other. I did it so they wouldn't be scared by noises in the night. Worked just great! Gave off about 20 watts od light, plenty for the job.
Best,
Karen