The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the magnitude change in ration nutrient density at dry off on the feed sorting behavior of dairy cows. Forty-eight cows (2.5 ± 0.7 lactations) were dried off over 5 d, approximately 60 d before their expected calving dates. At the start of dry off (d 1), cows were randomly assigned, for 26 d, to 1 of 2 dry cow TMR: higher nutrient density (HND; 1.55 Mcal/kg, 12.9% CP and 38.7% NFC) or lower nutrient density (LND; 1.48 Mcal/kg, 12.2% CP and 34.7% NFC). During dry off, cows were milked 1x/d on d 1, 2, 3, and 5. Before the start of dry off, cows were producing 26 ± 5.6 kg/d, milking 2x/d, and consuming a TMR (1.66 Mcal/kg, 14.7% CP and 48.5% NFC). Fresh feed and refusal samples were collected to assess feed sorting. A particle separator was used to separate feed samples into 4 fractions: long (>19 mm), medium (8–19 mm), short (4–8 mm), and fine (<4 mm) particles. Feed sorting was calculated as follows: actual DMI of each particle fraction divided by the predicted DMI of each fraction (expressed as a %). Data were summarized by cow and day and analyzed in repeated-measures linear mixed-effect regression model. Cows sorted against (P < 0.001) long particles before dietary change (85.8 ± 1.3%) and similarly (P > 0.5) afterward (LND: 82.5%; HND: 85.6%; SE = 1.8). Sorting of long particles did not vary between treatments (P = 0.11). Before dietary change, cows tended (P = 0.1) to sort in favor of short particles (100.7 ± 0.45%), but this occurred to a greater extent (P ≤ 0.04) after dietary change in both treatments (LND: 103.1%; HND: 102.5%; SE = 0.3). A treatment × day interaction indicated that LND cows sorted for short particles more than HND cows on d 1 (P = 0.03) and tended to do so more on d 6, 13, 16, and 25 (P < 0.10). Before dietary change, cows sorted (P = 0.002) in favor of fine particles (101.5 ± 0.5%), but this occurred to a greater extent (P = 0.03) after dietary change in LND cows (105.4 ± 0.5%). A treatment × day interaction indicated that LND cows sorted for fine particles more (P = 0.04) than HND cows (102.9 ± 0.5%), except on d 13 and 25 (P > 0.20). Thus, sorting behavior likely resulted in greater nutrient intake than predicted during the early dry period when a ration of lower nutrient density was fed.