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
Partial replacement of DL-Methionine and methionine hydroxy analogue with betaine in diets for broiler chickens
The study evaluated the effects on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens of DL-Methionine (DL-Met) and methionine hydroxy analogue (MHA) supplementation and their partial replacement with betaine (Bet). Two experiments were performed from day 1 to 21…
Nutritive value of full-fat dehulled sunflower seeds in diets for broiler chickens
The goal of this research was to evaluate the nutritive value of full-fat de-hulled sunflower seeds (DHSS) in feeding broiler chickens. Three experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 determined the proximal analysis of DHSS, the essential amino acid content, and apparent…
Moringa oleofera leaf meal as a feed supplement for dairy calves
The study evaluated the effects of supplements of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on blood biochemistry and growth of pre-weaned Holstein calves (n = 48). Four-day-old calves were blocked (based on order of birth and birth weight) and randomly allocated…
Sprinkler flow rate affects physiological, behavioural and production responses of Holstein cows during heat stress
Heat stress is a major challenge for dairy cows in summer. Sprinklers at feed bunks are commonly used to cool cows. These sprinklers use groundwater, which is becoming limited. There is a need to explore a more efficient use of…
Effects of different feeding systems on growth, fat accumulation and semen quality of Merino-type sheep
In South Africa, supplemental feeding is provided to improve the condition of breeding livestock before the animals are sold by the stud breeders to commercial farmers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different ram rearing systems on growth,…
Effects of Bacillus spp. as a supplemental probiotic in diets for weaned piglets
This article evaluated the effects of supplemental probiotic Bacillus subtilis (Bs) ATCC 6051a (1.6x109 cfu/mL) in diets for weaned piglets on their performance and on the occurrence of diarrhoea. Sixty piglets, 30 ±3 days old with initial bodyweight of 8.41±0.92…
Effect of dietary supplementation with L-Carnitine and fenofibrate on broiler chickens
A factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of L-Carnitine and fenofibrate on broilers. There were four replicates of four treatments, with each replicate including ten male Ross 308 broiler chickens. The experiment was conducted over a 42-day period…
Response of zebrafish to royal jelly supplementation and differences in stocking density
Dietary supplementation with royal jelly (RJ) may improve growth, antioxidant gene expression, and intestinal antioxidant capacity, and possibly mitigate effects of stress induced by high stocking density (HSD) in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Effects of HSD and RJ supplementation on growth…
Fattening performance, carcass traits, and profitability of Aberdeen Angus and Holstein Friesian bulls in Turkey
The aim of this study was to compare Aberdeen Angus (AA) and Holstein Friesian (HF) bulls in Turkey based on fattening performance, carcass properties, and production costs. In the trial, 105 AA and 105 HF 10- to 12-month-old bulls with…
Concentrations of metal residues in domestically produced and imported milk in Kosovo
The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of metal residues in cows’ milk and the health risks to humans from its consumption. In total 37 milk samples were analysed, namely 32 raw milk samples from domestic rural…
Effects of feeding systems on yield and performance of Linda geese (Anserinae sp.) in hot climatic conditions
This study evaluated the effects of various types of feeding on fattening period and performance of Linda geese. Feeding patterns consisted of concentrate feed-based intensive and pasture feed-based semi-intensive. A total of 150 goslings aged three days were divided into…
Effect of exogenous protease on growth performance and meat quality in broilers reared on fishmeal-based diets
This study determined the effect of protease supplementation in fishmeal-based diets on growth performance and meat quality of commercial broiler birds. Four hundred and thirty-two (432) day-old broiler chicks were divided into 36 experimental units of 12 chicks each. Nine…
Effects of sex on carcass composition and physicochemical, textural and rheological properties of meat from grey partridge
The study aimed to determine the effects of sex on bodyweight (BW) and dimensions, carcass weight, dressing percentage, percentage of carcass components, chemical composition, mineral content, acidity and electrical conductivity of the breast and leg muscles of grey partridges (Perdix…
Comparison of four semi-quantitative tests for evaluation of colostrum quality in Saanen goats
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Brix refractometry and to compare the Brix value with semi-quantitative indicators such as total protein (TP), total protein in whey (TPw), glutaraldehyde coagulation time (GCT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)…
Effects of dietary trace element supplementation on performance of laying hens and mineral content of egg yolk
In this experiment, 320 laying hens of Hy-Line W-36 strain were used in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design (eight treatments and eight birds in each pen). The treatments were 0 and 400 mg/kg iron salt, 0 and…
Early phase dietary supplementation of lipase and lecithin affects performance, haematology and immunology of broilers
A total of 192 one-day-old Ross 308 chicks were weighed individually (42.0 ± 0.8 g live weight) and randomly assigned to four dietary groups, each with three replicates of 16 birds. One group was a control (CON) and fed a…
Yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and its active metabolites affect the cecal microbiome of broilers
Yeast cultures (YCs) are defined as promising feed additives that maintain the health of birds and improve growth performance by modulating gut microbiota. YCs contain effective metabolites such as glycine, fructose, inositol, galactose, and sucrose. This study investigated the effects…
Response of sheep fed urea-treated corncob and supplemented with cassava leaf meal
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding untreated or urea-treated ground corncob and supplementing with cassava leaf meal (CLM) in a total mixed ration on growth, feed intake, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) utilization and rumen…
Oxidative stress and effects of dill (Anethum graveolens dhi) powder on the performance and health status of broilers
Effects of dill powder (Anethum graveolens dhi) on performance and biochemical traits, immune response, blood cells and microbial population of cecum broilers after stress induced with dexamethasone were investigated. Two hundred and forty broilers were arrayed in completely randomized design…
Effects of traditional tenderization treatments on Transversus abdominis muscles obtained from Holstein carcasses
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of traditional tenderization treatments on Transversus abdominis (TrA) muscles (inside skirts) of Holstein carcasses. The muscles were collected from carcasses of 12 healthy 18- to 22-month-old Holstein steers that had…
