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
Effects of dietary total sulphur amino acids to lysine ratio on performance, nitrogen utilization of Ac layers (black-boned chicken)
A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary total sulphur amino acids (TSAA) to lysine (Lys) ratio on performance of Ac layers (black-boned chicken). A total of 800 laying hens from 38 to 50 weeks old was allocated…
Effect of level of inclusion of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) powder in the diet on growth and histological changes in the intestines and livers of broiler chickens
The study was designed to evaluate the effects of different levels of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) powder in the diet on growth performance and histological changes of the livers and intestines of broiler chickens at 21 and 35 days old. Three…
Feeding sodium selenite and nano-selenium stimulates growth and oxidation resistance in broilers
Nano-elemental selenium (nano-Se) has attracted more attention than sodium selenite (SS), owing to its low toxicity, high bioavailability, strong adsorbing ability and high catalytic efficiency. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of dietary supplementation with…
Increasing the productivity of Morkaraman sheep through crossbreeding with prolific Romanov sheep under semi-intensive production systems (Short communication)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cross-breeding Turkish indigenous Morkaraman (M) ewes with prolific Romanov (R) rams on the reproduction and performance traits, growth traits, slaughter and carcass characteristics of the crossbred offspring under semi-intensive…
Effect of production system and slaughter age on some production traits of guinea fowl: Meat quality and digestive traits
Certain meat quality traits of guinea fowl that were reared in two production systems were determined in this study. Grey guinea fowl were reared in free-range and barn conditions. Birds were slaughtered at 14, 16 and 18 weeks old to…
Co-products in maize-soybean growing-pig diets altered in vitro enzymatic insoluble fibre hydrolysis and fermentation in relation to botanical origin
The study examined the effects of botanical factors and fermentation-based, high-level dilution of co-product feeds in maize–soybean growing-pig diets on enzymatic insoluble fibre hydrolysis and fermentation. Feed insoluble fibre residues that were recovered after pepsin-pancreatin digestion were subjected to Roxazyme®…
Effect of probiotics, Saccharomyces spp.Kb-5 and Kb-8, in diets on growth performance and cholesterol levels in ducks
The study was conducted to determine the effect of the probiotics, Saccharomyces spp.Kb-5 and Saccharomyces spp.Kb-8, on growth performance, carcass characteristics, serum and meat cholesterol levels in ducks. Two hundred and forty 1-day-old healthy male ducks were randomly allocated to…
Hydrogen peroxide concentration and DNA fragmentation of buffalo oocytes matured in sericinsupplemented maturation medium
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sericin on meiotic maturation, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation in buffalo oocytes. Oocytes were matured in vitro in tissue culture medium (TCM199) with in vitro maturation (IVM)…
Prebiotic effects of oligosaccharides extracted from palm kernel expeller on different levels of Salmonella typhimurium infection in chicks
Prebiotic effects of oligosaccharides extract from palm kernel expeller (OligoPKE) on Salmonella typhimurium were investigated in chicks in two experiments. Results of the first experiment showed that OligoPKE reduced the colonization of Salmonella typhimurium in the cecum and increased the…
Effect of feeding regime on the performance and blood parameters of male and female broiler chickens
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of feeding regime on changes in growth, mortality, carcass composition, and blood parameters of male and female broiler chickens during feed restriction and the realimentation period. In the experiment,…
Effects of transportation and storage duration of Japanese quail eggs on hatchability
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of transportation from breeder’s farm to hatchery, and of storage duration on the hatchability of quail eggs. Hatching eggs were divided into two groups. The first group was stored for seven days…
Genotype imputation as a cost-saving genomic strategy for South African Sanga cattle: A review
The South African beef cattle population is heterogeneous and consists of a variety of breeds, production systems and breeding goals. Indigenous cattle breeds are uniquely adapted to their native surroundings, necessitating conservation of these breeds as usable genetic resources to…
Genetic variability in a population of Letelle sheep in South Africa
The purpose of the study was to gain insight into the genetic variability of the Letelle sheep breed, a breed that has been managed as a closed population for 90 years, with no new genetic material being permitted into the…
Effects of processed recycled poultry bedding with tannins extracted from pomegranate peel on the nutrient digestibility and growth performance of lambs
The aim of this experiment was to decrease the rumen degradability rate of recycled poultry bedding (RPB) protein using pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as the tannin source. Furthermore, to study the effects of this processing method on nutrient digestibility, rumen…
Effect of Leucaena leucocephala, as a protein source in a total mixed ration, on milk yield and composition of Saanen milk goats
This study examined the effects of diets with two protein sources (oilseed cake meal (OSCM) and Leucaena leucocephala hay) on the performance of lactating goats that were fed a total mixed ration (TMR). Thirty Saanen milk goats were divided into…
Fatty acids profile and oxidative stability of eggs from laying hens fed diets containing hemp seed or hempseed cake
High levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are desirable in eggs for its nutritional quality, but render them vulnerable to oxidation. The aim of this trial was to assess the effects of dietary intake of hemp (seeds or cake) on…
Effects of dietary inclusion of commercial toxin binders and prebiotics on performance and immune responses of broiler chicks fed aflatoxin-contaminated diets
This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the dietary inclusion of commercial toxin binders (CTs) and prebiotics on growth performance, immune responses, intestinal morphology and blood variables of broiler chicks fed with aflatoxin and non-aflatoxin-contaminated diets. Six hundred one-day-old…
Characterization of surface orientation and tenderness of sous vide processed edible offal and psoas muscle from Dohne Merino sheep
The microstructural orientation and tenderness of edible offal and the psoas minor muscle from Dohne Merino sheep were compared in this study. Following evisceration and cleaning, fresh meat samples were collected from slaughtered lambs and ewes of different age groups…
Effect of varying levels of dietary inclusion of sweet lupin on the growth production characteristics of ostriches (Struthio camelus var. domesticus)
Nutrition contributes approximately 75% of the total input costs to an intensive ostrich production unit. An increase in the price of traditional protein sources thus necessitates finding cheaper alternatives. Sweet lupins were identified as a possible alternative; therefore, the effect…
Multi-trait genetic evaluation for horn traits of economic importance in the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer)
The wildlife industry in South Africa has shown immense growth since the 1990s, which was brought about by the private game segment of the industry. In recent years, trophy quality Cape buffalo breeding animals have achieved extremely high prices. Much…
