The South African Journal of Animal Science is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. The journal publishes reports of research dealing with the production of farmed animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and ostriches), as well as pertinent aspects of research on companion animals and aquatic and wildlife species. All submitted articles are subjected to a single-blind peer review process that is managed by a section editor under the supervision of the editor-in-chief. Copyright of a published article resides with the authors. Such articles will be published as open access content and be covered by the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 South African Licence. Users may copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the work, but must recognise the authors and the South African Journal of Animal Science.
Originally supported by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the South African Journal of Animal Science moved online in the early 2000s using a custom-built manuscript submission and editorial management system. In August 2025, the journal transitioned to the Public Knowledge Project’s Open Journal Systems (PKP OJS), hosted by Khulisa Journals at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
In line with international best practices, the journal integrates key components of digital research infrastructure, including DOIs (digital object identifiers), ORCID iDs (researcher identifiers), ROR IDs (research organisation identifiers), and CCLs (Creative Commons Licences), ensuring transparency, traceability, and global interoperability.
As of August 2025, the South African Journal of Animal Science makes use of the Crossref 10.17159 DOI prefix. View the journal metadata health and the Crossref DOI Conflict Report here.
If you experience any problems with the journal’s online platform, please contact the editor-in-chief at [email protected].
Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (2024): 0.6 (Q4 of subject category)
Clarivate Journal Citation Indicator (2024): 0.26
Scopus CiteScore (2024): 1.4
In sacco dry matter disappearance of herbage and maize meal from the rumen of lactating Dorper and Merino ewes supplemented with
Rumen fermentation was studied during three years in lactating Dorper and Merino ewes, supplemented daily with crude protein and/or energy via rumen fistulae on veld. Herbage, collected with oesophageally fistulated wethers, and maize meal were incubated in sacco in the…
Effect of grazing cycle on milk production of cows on kikuyu pasture
Kikuyu pasture (Pennisetum clandestinum) was evaluated as forage for milk production during the 1985/86 and 1986/87 grazing seasons at the Bathurst Research Station in the seaboard area of the Eastern Cape. The effect of different rotational grazing cycle lengths on…
Response to selection on BLUP of breeding values in the Grootfontein Merino stud
A study was conducted to estimate the response to selection on BLUP of breeding values for mature body weight (BW), clean fleece weight (CFW) and mean fibre diameter (MFD) in a commercial Merino stud with a high culling rate on…
The relationship between pre- and post-weaning performance of lambs on Italian ryegrass
The relationship between pre- and post-weaning performance of lambs on Italian ryegrass was investigated by grazing lambs at different stocking rates. A positive correlation was found between both the pre-weaning stocking rate (P = 0.008) and weaning mass (P =…
A comparative observational study on the reproductive performance of dairy cows with metritis and normal cows
The reproductive performance of cows with post parturient metritis treated systemically with long-acting oxytetracycline was compared with normal herd mates in four South African dairy herds. The incidence of metritis for all calvings in these herds was 7.5% (of 1838…
Late-night suckling inhibits onset of postpartum oestrous activity in beef cows
To determine whether suckling of calves late at night would prolong lactation anoestrus, 51 Hereford-type cows (21 – 29 days postpartum) were divided into three treatment groups. In treatments 1 (night suckling) and 2 (day suckling) cows suckled their calves…
Evaluation of faba beans (Vicia faba cv. Fiord) and sweet lupins (Lupinus albus cv. Kiev) as protein sources for growing pigs
Three diets were formulated to contain 16% crude protein (CP), 12.8 MJ/kg digestible energy (DE) and 0.9% lysine on an air-dry basis. The diets either contained 8.3% fishmeal, 20% faba beans plus 7.9% soybean oilcake meal (SBOK) or 20% low…
Effect of early calving of Simmentaler heifers under an extensive management system
Productivity of Simmentaler heifers, first mated at 14 months of age (2 M) compared to the traditional system of mating at 26 months of age (3 M), was investigated under extensive farming conditions. Both first calving (60.8 vs. 79.5%) and…
Countering inbreeding with migration 1. Migration from unrelated populations
The effect of migration on inbreeding is modelled for small populations with immigrants from a large unrelated population. Different migration rates and numbers for the two sexes are assumed, and a general recursion equation for inbreeding progress derived, which can…
Countering inbreeding with migration 2. Migration from related populations
In conservation and breeding, large populations are important for evolutionary viability and selection progress. On the other hand, practical and economic reasons may exist for population subdivision. These populations (islands) may be tied together to form effectively a single population…
Chemical composition of carcass sawdust residue as a predictor of the chemical composition of sheep carcasses (Short Communicati
Twenty sheep, ranging in body mass from 25 to 62 kg, were slaughtered to compare two methods of estimating the chemical composition of the carcass. One half of each carcass was ground in a carcass grinder equipped with a 6…
Effect of shelter on the performance of Friesian cows during winter in a mediterranean climate (Short communication)
The effect of different shelters, that is, a shade structure (3.5 m high) in a dry lot and a tie-stall barn in comparison to a dry lot with no protection against climatic conditions (rain and wind), on the milk pro¬duction…
Effect of mortality rate, breed type and breed on total herd efficiency
The influence of two scenarios of mortality rates (assumed average and observed) on total herd efficiency of the four main breed types in South Africa (Sanga/Zebu, composite, British and European), as well as all the individual breeds participating in the…
Effect of replacement rate, production system and beef price on total herd efficiency
The influence of replacement rate (R), price (c/kg carcass weight) and two production systems on total herd efficiency was investigated. R was assumed to be either 15% (minimum), 19% (point in between) or 23% (maximum). Percentage differences (minimum, point in…
Estimated genetic trends for weaning weight in three Dorper lines with different selection criteria
A study was undertaken to compare the effectiveness of three different selection strategies in increasing weaning weight of a Dorper flock under natural conditions. Data were analysed by mixed model procedures. Direct selection for weaning weight under natural conditions proved…
Non-genetic factors influencing growth and fleece traits in Afrino sheep
Data, consisting of 4235 lamb records, obtained from the Foundation Afrino Sheep Stud at the Carnarvon Experimental Station, were used to investigate factors influencing birth weight, weaning weight, monthly body weight from five to 12 months, body weight at 18…
Water intake and consumption in sheep differing in growth potential and adaptability
Water intake, efficiency and consumption of 30 growing individually fed Blackhead Persian, Dorper and South African Mutton Merino (Mutton Merino) ewe lambs were investigated. Average daily water intakes were 2.2, 4.6 and 5.4 litre for the Blackhead Persian, Dorper and…
Influence of different housing systems on the performance of hens of four laying strains
Four laying strains were evaluated with regard to henday egg production, egg mass, feed conversion, mortality, Haugh units, shell thickness and percentage soiled, cracked and broken eggs produced under a battery, floor house and free-range system. This was done to…
Effects of infused methionine, lysine and rumen-protected methionine derivatives on nitrogen retention and wool growth of Merino
Nitrogen (N) retention and wool growth rate (WGR) responses to various amino acids and derivatives as well as protein sources were determined with six ruminally and six abomasally fistulated Merino wethers in two balanced cross-over design experiments. The six treatments…
