The South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) has recently undertaken the task of changing the way the journal submission process is handled. In collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) it has developed an Online Journal Management System to facilitate the Journal Submission & Review Process.
Authors are kindly requested to submit all future articles for publication in the SA Journal of Animal Science via the Online Journal Management system.
If you experience any problems with the system, please contact the Editor at jvryssen@up.ac.za
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Meat in a sustainable food system
Meat has been an important component of the human diet for centuries as a rich source of essential nutrients required for development, growth and maintenance. In addition to its nutritional value, meat production and processing provide employment and income generation…
Driving forces for changes in geographic range of cattle ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Africa: A review
Ticks are the most important external parasites of cattle and are known to transmit more pathogens than any other group of arthropods worldwide. About 80% of the world cattle population is at risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases, causing a…
Environmentally smart animal agriculture and integrated advisory services ameliorate the negative effects of climate change on production
The objective is to discern how Charles Darwin’s Origin of species (1859) and the theory of natural selection and evolutionary biology – ‘a grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die’– are core to…
Fertility in dairy cows and ways to improve it
The fertility of dairy cows affects the genetic improvement and financial sustainability of dairy herds. Fertility is a complex trait that is affected by several factors. Genetically, fertility is difficult to improve because of low heritability. Cows that do not…
Global poultry production: Current impact and future outlook on the South African poultry industry
Poultry meat and eggs are the largest source of animal protein in the human diet worldwide. These are the benefits of decades of poultry research investments that were aimed at developing fast-growing strains, a better understanding of nutrient metabolism and…
Effect of dietary supplementation with medium chain fatty acids on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, lipid profile and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens
The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) diet supplementation on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, serum biochemistry and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens. The study was performed on 180 one-day-old broilers of…
Effect of dietary rape seed meal on growth performance and meat quality of growing-fattening pigs
The objective of this research was to evaluate the nutritive value of rapeseed meal (RSM) as a protein source for pigs, and the effect of graded inclusion levels of RSM as a replacement for imported soybean meal (SBM) on growth…
Effect of Vachellia erioloba and Dichrostachys cinerea pod supplementation on performance of does and kids of Namibian Caprivi and Ovambo indigenous goats
An on-station feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of Vachellia erioloba (VE) and Dichrostachys cinerea (DC) pod supplementation on intake, doe weight changes and growth of kids. Forty-two indigenous lactating does with average weight of 35 ± 0.5…
Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous Tswana goats
Tswana goats that were kept in communal systems in three agro-ecological regions in Botswana were characterized according to phenotypic measurements and genotypic data. Objective measurements for 123 goats included bodyweight (BW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), height at withers…
Serum biochemical profile of two broiler strains supplemented with vitamin E, raw ginger (Zingiber officinale) and L-carnitine under high ambient temperatures
In this study, the authors evaluated the comparative effects of dietary supplementation of ginger (Zingiber officinale), vitamin E and L-carnitine on certain blood parameters of two strains of broilers in summer. A total of 320 broiler chicks (Hubbard and Cobb)…
Characterization of seminal plasma constituents of unimproved indigenous and Tankwa goats
The aim of the study was to characterize and compare seminal plasma constituents of unimproved indigenous and Tankwa goats. In this study, unimproved indigenous (11) and Tankwa (11) goats were used. Their average age was 3 ± 0.8 years and…
Diurnal ingestive behaviour of steers grazing Alexander grass with various levels of nitrogen and feed supplements
Given the increasing availability of new cultivars with high yield potential, the use of annual tropical forages to improve cattle production systems is increasing and therefore warrants more research. The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of…
Effects of various levels of organic acids and of virginiamycin on performance, blood parameters, immunoglobulins and microbial population of broiler chicks
This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various levels of organic acids and virginiamycin on performance, blood parameters, immunoglobulin and microbial population of broiler chickens. This trial was conducted in a completely randomized design using five treatments and…
Influence of dietary supplementation of probiotics on intestinal histo-morphometry, blood chemistry and gut health status of broiler chickens
The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, on histo-morphologic measurements of the small intestine and on the gut health status of broiler chickens. A total of 240…
Feeding preferences of ostriches towards the inclusion of full-fat canola seed in grower diets
The largest expense of an intensive ostrich production unit is feed cost (ca.75%). Protein makes up a great portion of feed for monogastric animals and this expense can be lowered by utilizing locally produced feedstuffs such as full-fat canola, although…
