Isaac Salfer, PhD, says our tendencies to avoid summer feeding times in the heat of the day are not consistent with natural biological rhythms and eating patterns of dairy cows. He says night feedings are not a best practice and to avoid feeding after 3:00 p.m.
Cows have this strong biological drive to not eat at night” – Isaac Salfer, Ph.D.
Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, August 3, 2020. Link. Salfer says cows eat whenever you deliver feed, but when fed at night they end up slug feeding or eating at a faster rate over a shorter period of time. This can lead to problems with rumen acidosis.