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
Perspectives and advantages of using olive (Olea europaea) by-products as a dietary supplement for rabbit production and health
Over the years, the olive oil market has increased considerably due to its organoleptic features and increasing awareness of the beneficial properties of olive products for human health. However, the olive oil production processes generate a variety of wastes and…
Preservation of mannanase Eupenicillium javanicum (BS4) in solid state fermentation using glycerol and polyol
The digestibility of palm kernel meal can be increased using mannanase. Enzyme application in the field requires a preservation process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of liquid Eupenicillium javanicum BS4 mannanase resulting from solid state…
Effects of rumen undegradable protein source on feed intake and milk yield of Holstein dairy cows
This study was conducted to determine the effects of heat treated-soybean meal, fish meal, meat meal, and an equal blend of fish and meat meal as rumen-ungradable protein (RUP) sources on productive performance, nutrient digestibility, N-utilization efficiency, and blood metabolites…
Effects of adding natural additives to whole milk on performance, faecal, and blood parameters in suckling Holstein calves
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of additives containing organic acids, herbal extracts, and prebiotics to whole milk on the developmental performance and several faecal and blood parameters of Holstein calves during the suckling period. A…
Effects of feed form (pellet or mash), corn particle size, and Bacillus-based probiotic supplementation on performance traits and digestive tract health of broiler chickens
A total of 720 Ross 308, male broiler chicks were used to study the effect of feed form, corn particle size, and probiotic supplementation as a completely randomized block design with 2×2×2 factorial arrangement (eight treatments and five replications). The…
Marek’s disease in backyard chickens of Pakistan: A study of pathological lesions in correlation to viral load
Marek's disease (MD) is an infectious, lymphoproliferative disorder caused by the alpha herpesvirus genus, Mardivirus, serotype 1 (Gallid Herpesvirus 2, or GaHV-2). There is no current information on Marek's disease virus (MDV) pathotypes and serotypes circulating in backyard poultry in…
Growth, slaughter performance, abdominal visceral organ sizes, and plasma metabolic markers in indigenous, improved, and crossbred growing pigs fed roasted or sprouted cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) diets
Growth, slaughter performance, and blood metabolic markers were evaluated in Windsnyer (W), Large White (LW) × Landrace (LR), and three-way crossbred (W × LW × LR) pigs fed control (soybean cake), sprouted, or roasted iso-nutrient, cowpea, maize-based diets. Twelve male…
Haematological parameters of Hungarian, farmed ostriches
The analysis of haematological parameters is of great importance from a diagnostic point of view and is important on a global scale as well. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of the month, farm, bird age, and sex on…
Risk factors for puerperal endometritis in the sow
Puerperal endometritis in sows may detrimentally affect the health of sows and reduce reproductive performance in their subsequent litters. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine risk factors for puerperal endometritis in sows. In total, 139 second-parity, Yorkshire × Landrace…
Village chicken production and egg quality in dry and wet, resource-limited environments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
The study investigated the quality and production of village chickens in wet and dry environments. Three hundred households were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Both external and internal characteristics were measured in 4 000 eggs using visual observation and laboratory…
Fermented feed may improve the growth performance, immunological function, and antioxidant capacity of Sichuan White Geese
The current study aimed to assess the effects of the addition of dietary fermented feed (FF) on the growth performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and number of cecal microorganisms of Sichuan white geese from 1 to 28 d of age. A total…
Settled and nomadic breeding of Karya sheep
Records of five settled and five nomadic sheep enterprises in Karya-2, a sub-project of the “National Ovine Breeding by Public” project carried out by the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies of Denizli Province, Turkey, were examined in this…
Stress-alleviating properties of dietary red grape pomace in Ross 308 broilers reared at a high stocking density
Nutraceutical plant products such as red grape pomace (Vitis vinifera L. var. Shiraz) contain potent antioxidants that could mitigate stress caused by high stocking density. An experimental feeding trial was conducted using a total of 720 densely-stocked (30 birds/pen) Ross…
The effects of poultry fat with soy oil at a fixed energy:protein on broiler field performance
The effects of poultry fat (PF) as an alternative to soy oil (SO) in broiler diets at a fixed energy:protein on field performance were investigated. Chick weight (CW), average daily weight gain (ADWG), average live weight (ALW), feed consumption (FC),…
The relationship between milk components, immunoglobulins, and cytokine content at the end of lactation in Kyrgyz mares
The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship of immunoglobulins and cytokine content in the milk of Kyrgyz mares during the last period of lactation. For this purpose, seven Kyrgyz mares were used. During the last week…
Factors influencing within-litter variation of birth weight and the incidence of runt piglets
The present study was conducted to investigate factors affecting within-litter variation of piglet birth weight and the incidence of runt piglets. In total, 8433 piglets were included in the study. They had been born from 624 Landrace x Yorkshire sows…
Partial replacement of maize meal with high-tannin sorghum meal affects finishing and methane emissions of Pedi goats
This study was conducted to determine the effect of replacing maize meal with Sorghum vulgare meal, a high-tannin sorghum meal, in fattening diets on bodyweight and methane emissions by yearling male Pedi goats. A total of 12 yearling male Pedi…
Effect of dietary energy concentration on the growth of slow-growing Korat chickens from 43 to 84 days old
The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of diets with different energy levels on the growth performance of slow-growing chickens (so-called Korat chicken (KRC)). The KRC is a cross between a male Thai native chicken (Leung Hang…
Evaluation of grass and legume tropical mixtures and performance of grazed sheep
The objective of this research was to determine the pasture structure, nutritional value, animal behaviour, intake, and performance of Santa Inês sheep grazing pastures with various mixtures of grass (Andropogon gayanus) and forage legume (Stylosanthes sp. and Calopogonium mucunoides). A…
Feeding Nigella sativa oil to broilers affects their performance, serum constituents and cecum microbiota
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of supplementation of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) as a growth promoter in broiler diets. A total of 300 unsexed one-day-old Arbor Acre broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment…
