The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP; NutriTek, Diamond V, Cedar Rapids, IA) during the periparturient period and dietary starch content during the first 3 wk after calving on the performance of dairy cows. From wk 4 before the expected calving date to 6 wk after calving, 117 Holstein cows were fed diets without (CON; n = 58) or with SCFP (SCFP; n = 59). All cows were fed a common basal diet (1.43 Mcal NE_L/kg DM; 13% starch) before calving. Cows within each treatment (CON or SCFP) were fed either a low- (LS; 21% starch; n = 59) or high-starch (HS; 27% starch; n = 58) diet from wk 1 to 3 after calving, and all cows were fed HS diets from wk 4 to 6 after calving. Cows were assigned to treatment balanced for parity, BCS, BW, and expected calving date. Data were analyzed using the FIT model procedure of JMP (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Although DMI was not different between LS and HS cows, milk yield was higher for cows fed the LS diets compared with those fed the HS diets at wk 1 to 3 after calving (34.1 vs. 32.1 kg/d; P = 0.05). Supplementation of SCFP had no effect on prepartum DMI, but SCFP cows had higher DMI than CON cows at d 1 (13.0 vs. 11.9 kg; P = 0.02) and d 5 after calving (15.5 vs. 14.1 kg; P = 0.04). However, overall DMI and milk yield from wk 1 to 3 after calving was not affected by SCFP supplementation. From wk 4 to 6 after calving, DMI tended to be lower for SCFP than CON cows (19.8 vs. 20.6 kg/d; P = 0.10), but 3.5% FCM yield (44.9 vs. 43.6 kg/d) was similar among treatments, resulting in greater feed efficiency for SCFP cows (3.5% FCM/DMI; 2.27 vs. 2.13; P = 0.01). These findings suggest that feeding low-starch diets during the immediate postpartum period can increase milk production of dairy cows fed a low-energy close-up diet, and that supplementation of SCFP in transition diets may increase feed intake around calving and feed efficiency in post-transition early lactation period.