Two levels of concentrate (20 and 40% dry matter) and presence or absence of propolis ethanolic extract (PEE) in the diet at 30% w/v were evaluated in this study. The intake and apparent digestibility of nutrients, milk production and composition, live weight, feed efficiency and concentrate use for milk production were evaluated. Eight Holstein cows were distributed in two 4 × 4 Latin squares. The experiment was carried out in four 21-day periods, the first fourteen days were for the animals to adapt to the diets and the last seven days were for data collection. The experimental diets consisted of corn silage in the proportion of 80 or 60%, and concentrates based on corn and soybean meal, in addition to 34 mL PEE per day in the treatments that required this additive. The animals were housed in individual pens, fed ad libitum and milked twice a day. There was no interaction between concentrate levels and propolis, and there was no PEE effect for the evaluated parameters. The diets with 40% concentrate increased the daily dry matter, concentrate and TDN intakes, and caused reduction in forage intake in relation to diets with 20% concentrate. The total apparent digestibility coefficients did not change as a function of concentrate level in the ration. There was greater milk production, production of milk corrected to 3.5%, protein content and fat and protein production in milk in the diets with 40% concentrate. Although 40% concentrate diet allowed higher productive performance than 20% concentrate, the efficiency was only 0.68 kg milk/kg of concentrate. The addition of propolis does not alter the intake, digestibility and performance of cows producing above 20 kg of milk/day.
intake; milk production and composition; propolis; total apparent digestibility
