During the fresh period after calving through ~21 d postpartum, dairy cows are often in negative energy balance (NEB) due to high energy demands to support rapidly rising milk output at a time of relatively low dry matter intake (DMI). Multiparity Holstein cows (672) on a California dairy farm were used from 14 d pre-calving through 150 d in milk (DIM). While in the close-up dry pen (−14 to 1 DIM), cows were comingled and fed the same total mixed ration (TMR), in the fresh pens (1 to ~22 DIM) cows were fed the same TMR, except for inclusion of ruminally protected (RP) Ni (rumen escape estimate = 66%) in separate pens at 0, 3.5, 7 or 14 g nicotinic acid/cow/d. Cows were comingled in the high pen (~23 to 150 DIM) and fed the same TMR. Milk production and body condition (BCS) was measured every 2 wk in the fresh pen and every 4 wk in the high pens. At 7 ± 3.9 DIM, there was no effect of RPNi on milk (39.3 ± 0.89 kg) or component yields. However at 21 ± 3.9 DIM there were quadratic trends (P < 0.20), with highest outputs at 3.5 g/d feeding and lowest at 14 g/d. However at the 1st high pen milk sampling after cessation of RPNi feeding (48 ± 8.0 DIM), milk and component yields slumped for cows previously fed 3.5 g/d resulting in lower yields vs Control (53.2 vs 51.8 kg milk/d; 1.75 vs 1.67 kg fat/d), but over the next 3 mo they converged with Control. In contrast, milk and component yields of cows previously fed 14 g/d rebounded on the 1st high pen milk sampling after cessation of feeding RPNi resulting in higher yields vs Control (53.2 vs 55.3 kg milk/d; 1.75 vs 1.82 kg fat/d). There was no effect of RPNi feeding on BCS during the fresh period, but BCS of cows previously fed 3.5 g/d decreased more than Control cows in high pens, maintaining a lower BCS through ~80 DIM, but by 150 DIM there was no difference with Control. In contrast the BCS of cows previously fed 14 g/d decreased from the fresh period through 150 DIM. RPNi had small effects on animal performance while supplemented, but cessation of feeding caused short-term rebound carry-over effects. However, performance of cows on all RPNi levels had largely converged by 150 DIM.