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
Sugar as an energy source for growing ducklings
An experiment was conducted to determine whether sugar could successfully be incorporated into feeds for ducklings in the period 0 to 7 weeks of age. Five dietary treatments, with sugar content ranging from 0 to 400 g kg-1 were fed…
Laboratoriumondersoek na optimum behandelingskondisies vir enkelvoudige en kombinasiebehandeling van koringstrooi met ureum en b
Laboratory investigation into optimal conditions for the treatment of wheat straw with urea and caustic soda, exclusively or in combination. The effect of treating wheat straw with 55 g urea and 45 g caustic soda (exclusively and in combination)…
Progesteroonvlakke gedurende geslagsontwikkeling in lente-gebore Karakoelooilammers (Kort mededeling)
Progesterone levels during sexual development in spring-born Karakul ewe lambs. Four spring-born Karakul ewe lambs were pen fed to first lambing. Blood samples for analysis of progesterone concentration in peripheral plasma were taken on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from these…
Invloed van intravaginale progestagene op estrusaktiwiteit by Vleismerino-ooie (Kort mededeling
Effect of intravaginal progestagens on oestrus activity of Mutton Merino ewes. Seven groups of SA Mutton Merino ewes, representing seven different stages in the oestrous cycle i.e., day 0 (ovulation), 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, were treated…
Evaluering van die Finse Landras X Merino en Merino as ooilyne in kruisings met vyf ramlyne. Oorlewing en groei (Kort mededelin
Evaluation of the Finnish Landrace x Merino and Merino as ewe lines in crosses with five ram lines. Survival and growth. Finnish Landrace x Merino (F x M) and Merino ewes were evaluated against each other as dam lines in…
Effects of active immunization against androstenedione on the reproductive performance of Merino ewes (Short communication)
The effect of active immunization against the ovarian steroid, androstenedione, on the reproductive performance of Merino ewes was investigated. Although a significant (P<0,01) increase of 19% in fecundity and 20,3% in lambing rate was obtained by treatment, the eventual number…
Use of the gamma function in equations which describe ruminal fermentation and –outflow rates for the prediction of voluntary in
Five models were studied for goodness of fit to in sacco organic matter disappearance. Except for the first-order model, all the other models showed an accurate and unbiased fit, although in some cases this was achieved by unrealistic parameter estimates…
Effect of high levels of dietary molybdenum and sulphate on SA Mutton Merino sheep. 1. Mineral status and haematological paramet
Forty-five adult SA Mutton Merino ewes and 36 eight-month-old ram lambs were divided into three groups so that each group contained an equal number of animals of each haemoglobin type AA, AB and BB. Three diets were compiled…
Effect of high levels dietary molybdenum and sulphate on SA Mutton Merino sheep. II Certain aspects of the oestrous cycle and pr
Forty-five SA Mutton Merino ewes, 2 to 5 years of age, were divided into three groups. Although all ewes received the same basic diet, the diet of one group (group M) was supplemented with molybdenum and that of another group…
Eenvoudige metode vir die beraming van bosluisbestandheid by beeste
A simplified method, whereby tick resistance in cattle is assessed by counting all ticks under the tail and on the scrotum or udder only, was compared to the Australian method, where tick resistance is assessed by counting successful females on…
Effect of thermal ammoniation and heat treatment of high-tannin grain sorghum on the TME value for roosters and relative nutriti
An experiment was conducted to (i) determine the effect of heat treatment and thermal ammoniation on dry-matter digestibility and true metabolizable energy content of high-tannin grain sorghum in a digestion trial with roosters and (ii) to determine the relative nutritive…
Biological activity of maleic methionine and methyl maleic methionine in chickens (Short communication)
In a chick growth assay over a 10-day period, no significant difference could be established between the effects of DL methionine, methyl maleic methionine and the methyl hydroxyl analogue of methionine on growth rate and efficiency of feed conversion. However,…
Note on different digestible energy concentrations and ratios of lysine to digestible energy in diets of piglets weaned at three
Sixty-two piglets weaned at three weeks of age were allotted, in pairs, to four experimental diets (14 piglets to one diet and 16 piglets to each of the other three diets), and fed until 10 weeks of age. The diets…
Preliminary note on the utilization of alkaline hydrogen peroxide treated wheat straw by sheep (Short communication)
The effect of alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) treatment and urea supplementation on the feeding value of wheat straw was investigated in a 2 x 2 factorial experiment with sheep. Bales of wheat straw were dipped for a period of 24…
Supplementation of lactating Dorper and Merino ewes on Themeda cymbopogon veld. 1. Body mass changes of ewes and their lambs
The effects of energy and crude protein (CP) supplementation to lactating ewes on the performance of the ewes and their lambs, while grazing native pasture (veld), were studied during two autumn (1981 and 1982) and two spring (1983 and 1984)…
Supplementaion of lactating Dorper and Merino ewes on Themeda cymbopogon veld. 2. Diet quality and feed intake
The effects of energy and crude protein (CP) supplementation on feed intake of lactating ewes grazing native pasture (veld) were studied during two autumn (1981 and 1982) and two spring (1983 and 1984) lambing seasons. The CP content of the…
Supplementation of lactating Dorper and Merino ewes on Themeda cymbopogon veld. 3. Seasonal and diurnal variation in rumen pH a
The effects of energy and crude protein (CP) supplementation on diurnal and seasonal variations in rumen pH and concentrations of ammonia (NH3) in lactating ewes grazing native pasture (veld) were studied during two autumn (1981 and 1982) and two spring…
Use of the mobile nylon bag technique to determine digestible energy in pig diets
The experiment was conducted to compare the mobile nylon bag technique (MNBT) with conventional digestibility techniques for the estimation of digestible energy (DE) in pig diets. Factors investigated were the effect of washing after retrieval, predigestion time, particle size, retention…
Effect of thermal ammoniation and heat treatment on the faecal and ileal digestibility and utilization of birdproof grain sorghu
Two experiments were conducted to (i) determine the effect of thermal ammoniation (NH3BPS) and heat treatment (HBPS) of birdproof sorghum (BPS) on energy and N metabolism, measured with intact and ileo-rectal anastomosed pigs and (ii) to evaluate NH3BPS and untreated…
