Background Coccidiosis is an endemic protozoal disease of chickens normally controlled by ionophores. However, coccidiostats are also antibiotics, and evidence of resistance in both coccidia and bacteria may develop and reduce antibacterial activity in humans. This has led to a search for natural coccidiostats, such as green tea. Objectives To study the effects of supplementing broilers with various levels and types of green tea, in comparison to use of a conventional coccidiostat or a control, unsupplemented diet. Methods A total of 360 male, day‐old Ross 308 broilers (days 1–42) were used to evaluate the gut morphology and performance when challenged with coccidiosis and fed varying dietary levels of green tea powder or extract. Treatments were Negative control (NC, unsupplemented control diet); positive control (PC, control diet + commercial coccidiostat); control diets with 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4 g/kg green tea extract (GTE 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4); and control diets with 1, 2 or 3 g/kg green tea powder (GTP 1, 2 and 3). Results Compared with NC, PC and all green tea treatments, but particularly GTE0.4, increased feed intake and growth rate, with the best feed conversion ratio at GTE0.4. As a proportion of carcase weight, higher inclusion rates increased intestine weight and decreased abdominal fat. The duodenum, jejunum and ileum of birds fed green tea, and particularly GTE0.4, had longer, wider villi, and shallower crypts. Epithelium thickness was reduced by green tea and PC, compared to NC. Clostridium perfringens and coliform populations decreased in proportion to green tea inclusion rate and decreased in PC. Lactobacilli increased with green tea and were more for NC than PC. Green tea at the highest concentrations reduced blood glucose and LDL and VLDL cholesterol. Conclusions Green tea offers a possible replacement for conventional ionophores to control coccidiosis in broiler chickens. The best inclusion rate was 0.4 g/kg.

Analysis of the feeding schemes has shown that higher nutritious diet of the calves raised up to 6 months of age can be provided by increasing the share of mineral substances of organic nature-the organic microelement complex (OMEC). The research studies have found that the OMEC has a positive impact on the feed palatability and beef production. As evidenced by morphological and biochemical composition of blood, the organic microelement complexes intervention into the mixed fodders MF-1, MF-2 and MF-3 activates metabolic processes in the body of the animals, with the total protein concentration accurately to increase by 7.7-7.8% (Р<0.05), glucose-by 4.7-6.3% (Р<0.05), and the urea level to be down by 13.0-14.3%. The tendency of red blood cells, hemoglobin, alkali reserve, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper to increase by 1.6-10.3% has also been established. The OMEC integration into the composition of the complete fodders MF-1, MF-2 and MF-3 for young cattle increases the average daily gains by 9.5-12.3% (P<0.05) depending on the age, with the feed costs for 1 kg of gain to be cut by 7-10%. The organic microelement complex helps to reduce the gain costs by 7.0-10.9%, depending on the age of the animals. Taking into account positive results of testing the premixes containing the OMEC on young cattle in a production environment, it is recommended to use the supplement studied as a component of a feedstuff in industrial complexes and specialized farms for beef production at the rate of 10% of the existing norms of trace elements in model formulations.

The food crises of the 21st century are characterized by the presence of multidirectional obstacles of a socio-economic and organizational nature in the structure of international relations that function on the problems of maintaining a wide range of export-import supplies of raw and related resources. This situation is caused by the specifics of the international epidemiological situation with the widespread incidence of COVID-19, which leads to the adoption of extraordinary measures to counteract the further aggravation of this situation. Additional factors in the formation of food crises are the complication of the full functioning of natural-artificial aggregates of elements that make up the system of agro-industrial production, formed within the framework of national socio-economic systems, as well as in the structure of international food production and consumer relations. The main means of overcoming these crises consist in the development and further implementation of rational resource-saving technologies for the functioning of the agro-industrial complex with the extraction of various components from the environment, subject to the minimum possible negative impact on it. Thus, the most important ways to overcome the food crises, which are aggravated by the spread of COVID-19, are the sustainable partnership of state management structures and representatives of the private sector of the economy through modern electronic and digital communications in the development of advanced resource-saving technologies for the production of high-quality food, providing comprehensive public-private financial support for the production of high-quality food, as well as comprehensive compliance with epidemiological safety standards.

The purpose of this work is to study a new phytobiotic with bifidogenic action as an alternative for veterinary drug at the early stage of ontogenesis and measuring its effect on physiological state and productivity of animals. 3 groups of large white piglets at the age of one day were formed selected for the experiment on the farm. A total of 90 similar piglets were selected. The animals were kept under standard conditions adopted in the farm. Piglets in the control group received farm standard diet (SD), analogs of experimental group I - SD + veterinary drug containing in its composition: «Sulfadimezin» (at a dosage of 25 mg / kg of live weight) and «Trimethoprim» (at a dosage of 5 mg / kg of live weight), II experimental group - OR + «Lactusil» (in the amount of 0.2 mg / kg of live weight). The use of the biologically active feed additive «Lactusil» in diet of the animals in comparison with a veterinary preparation containing in its composition: «Sulfadimezin» and «Trimethoprim» did not have a negative effect on the physiological state and level of humoral immunity. The high level of live weight, absolute and average daily gains is confirmed by the results of biochemical, morphological and immunological studies in blood of experimental piglets, which may indirectly indicate the level of metabolic processes in their bodies.