The objective was to evaluate the timing of initiation and duration of feeding ruminally protected choline (RPC; ReaShure, Balchem Corp., New Hampton, NY) on dairy cow performance. The experiment was divided into the following 2 periods of time: −21 to 21 DIM and 22 to 105 DIM with data from periods analyzed separately using repeated measures within the MIXED procedure of SAS. From −21 to 21 DIM, multiparous Holstein cows (n = 99) were top-dressed with 0 or 60 g/d of RPC (12.9 g/d choline ion). Starting at 22 DIM, cows were switched to the alternate diet (control to RPC or RPC to control) or maintained on the same diet (control to control or RPC to RPC) resulting in a 2 by 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Methionine (Perdue Ag Solutions LLC, Salisbury, MD) was formulated to 2.9% of metabolizable protein (MP) in the prepartum diets and to 2.4% of MP in the postpartum (PP) diets. Feeding RPC did not affect prepartum DMI, BW, or BCS (means of 11.7 kg/d, 774 kg, and 3.46, respectively). During the first 21 d PP, RPC did not affect DMI (16.2 vs. 16.4 kg/d; P = 0.72) or milk yield (35.1 vs. 36.8 kg/d; P = 0.13) of control and RPC-fed cows, respectively. Milk fat % was greater for cows fed RPC (4.41 vs. 4.60%; P = 0.05). As a result, cows fed RPC produced more energy-corrected milk (ECM; 39.0 vs. 42.0 kg/d; P = 0.04) and feed efficiency (FE; ECM/DMI) was greater (2.44 vs. 2.64, P = 0.01). Extent of BW loss was greater by cows fed RPC (24.4 vs. 37.7 kg, P = 0.01). Between 22 and 105 DIM, yield of milk tended to be greater (44.6 vs. 46.9 kg/d; P = 0.06) and yield of ECM was greater (43.2 vs. 45.6 kg/d; P = 0.05) for cows fed RPC in transition ((control-control + control-RPC) vs. (RPC-control + RPC-RPC), respectively). Feed intake did not differ between treatment groups (23.5 vs. 23.3 kg/d), therefore FE was improved by feeding RPC during transition (1.81 vs. 1.92; P = 0.01). Concentration of milk fat (mean of 3.46%) and milk protein (mean of 2.85%) were unchanged by treatments. Initiation of feeding RPC at 22 DIM or extending RPC supplementation beyond 21 DIM did not improve milk yield; however, supplementation of RPC between 21 d prepartum and 21 d PP increased yield of ECM over 15 wk PP.