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.
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Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (2024): 0.6 (Q4 of subject category)
Clarivate Journal Citation Indicator (2024): 0.26
Scopus CiteScore (2024): 1.4
Nutritive value of Medicago truncatula (cv. Jemalong) as pasture for sheep. 2 Voluntary intake and animal production
The experiment was conducted to (i) determine the excretion pattern of an indigestible marker for sheep, (ii) compare three different techniques used to determine intake, (iii) determine the crude protein (CP) and digestible organic matter (DOM) intake of wethers and…
Feeding potential of summer grain crop residues for woolled sheep in the south-eastern Transvaal Highveld I. Availability of cro
In a two-year study, the value of crop residues of lupins, dry beans, soybeans, sunflower, sorghum and maize for wintering sheep was evaluated. The amounts of residues arid weeds present at the start and end of grazing were estimated by…
Feeding potential of summer grain crop residues for woolled sheep in the south-eastern Transvaal Highveld 11. Selection of mate
Dohne Merino wethers grazed crop residues of lupins, dry beans, soybeans, sunflower, sorghum and maize at a stocking rate of 10 wethers / ha. Three wethers in every treatment were oesophageally fistulated and during sampling periods the other seven were…
Effect of curd suppression of a calf milk replacer fed at increasing levels on nutrient digestibility and body mass-gain
Two groups of eight Friesland bull calves each were used in the trial. Calves received a commercial, coagulable milk replacer in which casein coagulation either was normal (CM treatment), or was prevented by the precipitation of Ca++ with an oxalic…
Genetic and phenotypic parameters of pelt traits in a Karakul control flock
Genetic parameters of 16 pelt traits and birth mass were calculated in a Karakul control flock (n = 2058; rams = 305) with a half-sib analysis. Moderately high heritabilities were estimated for pelt traits. No antagonistic genetic correlation was found…
Ondersoek na seleksiemaatstawwe by Afrinoskape. Genetiese parameters van groei- en woleienskappe
Investigation of selection criteria for Afrino sheep. Genetic parameters of growth and wool traits: The data used in this study were obtained from the Carnarvon Afrino stud. The genetic and phenotypic parameters for the various growth and wool traits were…
The repeatability of greasy wool mass of Merino breeding ewes in the south-western Cape (Short communication)
Data of 224 Merino breeding ewes, kept on artificial pasture in a favourable environment in the South Western Districts, were analysed. Means of greasy wool mass at 16, 28 and 40 months of age were respectively 8,41, 9,14 and 8,79…
Lifetime reproduction of Karukul ewes as influenced by season of birth, age at first lambing and lambing interval
Lifetime reproduction of 1462 eight-year-old Karakul ewes was recorded since 1972. The influence of season of birth, age at first lambing and lambing interval on lifetime reproduction was investigated Age at first lambing was significantly (P<0,01) affected by month of…
Non-genetic factors affecting pelt traits in Karakul sheep
Pelts of 2465 lambs from a randomly bred Karakul flock were subjectively evaluated within 24 h after birth, over a two-year period. The data were analysed with year of birth, birth status, month born, age of the dam and sex…
The potential of maize crop residues for wintering sheep on the eastern Transvaal Highveld
Maize crop residues were grazed at three stocking rates, viz. 6, 9 and 12 sheep/ha, for about three months. Total DM yield of the maize crop was about 7500 kg / ha, and consisted of 38,5% grain and 61,5% residues…
Wheat-straw as roughage component in finishing diets of growing lambs
Five diets were formulated on an iso-nutrient basis (approximately 12 MJ digestible energy, 16,5% crude protein, 5% non-degradable protein, 33% neutral detergent fibre, 18% acid detergent fibre, 0,8% calcium and 0,3% phosphorus) so that lucerne hay (LH) was substituted by…
Utilization of the phosphorus in Langebaan rock phosphate by growing sheep (Short communication)
Growing wether sheep were given a low-phosphorus (P) diet (1,06 g P/d) supplemented, with 1,75 g P in the form of either Langebaan rock phosphate (Langfos) or two different calcium phosphates, composed of either a mixture of monocalcium and dicalcium…
Presence of inbreeding during a selection experiment with Merino sheep (Short communication)
Individual inbreeding coefficients were computed in three lines of a selection experiment by using the algorithm of Quaas (1976). The mean inbreeding was about 2% at the end of the experiment and no significant difference was found among lines selected…
Comparison of the voluntary feed and water intake between springbok and sheep under captive conditions (Short communication)
The voluntary feed and water intake by springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) and two breeds of sheep (Ovis spp.) were investigated by means of trials conducted in pens. The dry-matter intake (g DM/kg W0,75/d) by the respective animals was as follows: springbok…
Dietary selection by steers grazing kikuyu (Short communication)
Dietary selection trials were conducted on kikuyu pastures while being grazed for a period of 3,5 days in a four-week rotation, at stocking rates of 3,5 6,2 and 8,3 animals per hectare. The pasture was fertilized with 210 kg N…
Nutritive value of selected and non-selected (untreated or then-no-ammoniated) fractions of maize residues (Short communication)
The nutritive value of maize residues, presented in three forms to growing Simmentaler steers (250 ± 31 kg), was evaluated by means of a growth and digestion study. The three forms of maize residues evaluated were: (i) selected material which…
Growth and efficiency of young Brahman, Bonsmara. and Drakensberger bulls (Short communication)
Growth and individual cumulative feed intakes (cumFI) of 15 Brahman, 12 Bonsmara and 14 Drakensberger bulls, randomly acquired from various herds, were recorded in a 140-day post-weaning feedlot trial. Of the linear and quadratic regressions fitted to the data of…
Inclusion of Tarchonanthus camphorates in finishing diets for lambs (Short communication)
The effect of including 20, 30, 40 and 50% Tarchonanthus camphoratus as the sole roughage in a finishing diet for limbs was investigated. Stems (with leaves), not exceeding 12,5 mm in diameter and 600 mm in length respectively, were…
A note on the early calving of beef heifers (Short communication)
The Nguni, the smallest beef breed in South Africa, was used to investigate the advantages of mating beef heifers early. A group of 43 heifers was mated at 13 - 15 months of age, in contrast to the normal practice…
Animal production from native pasture (veld) in the Free State Region – A perspective of the grazing ruminant (Review)
The seasonal variation in diet selection and herbage intake of cattle and sheep and the effects on animal performance at various research centres are put into perspective, taking into consideration the annual rainfall and its distribution. The most important constraint…
