The South African Journal of Animal Science is an open access journal. The journal publishes reports of research dealing with production of farmed animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and ostriches), as well as pertinent aspects of research on aquatic and wildlife species. All submitted articles are subjected to a single-blind peer review process that is managed by a sub-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.
The South African Journal of Animal Science makes use of an Online Journal Management System that was developed in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council to facilitate the manuscript submission and review process. Authors are kindly requested to submit all articles for publication in the South African Journal of Animal Science via the Online Journal Management system.
If you experience any problems with the system, please contact the editor-in-chief at [email protected].
Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (2023): 0.7
Clarivate Journal Citation Indicator (2023): 0.32
Scopus CiteScore (2023): 1.5
The effect of various additives to vetch forage silage on in vitro digestibility values and feed quality
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of adding pomace (peach, apricot) and molasses in different proportions to vetch feed on the digestibility values and relative feed quality of the silage. The forage was wilted before being…
The effect of plumage colour and sex on growth, carcass, and meat quality traits of Japanese quail
The aim of the study was to determine the effect of plumage colour and sex on growth, slaughter-carcass, and meat quality characteristics of Japanese quails. The effect of plumage colour on live weight values from hatching to sixth week was…
A new perspective on the association between radio-immuno and ELISA progesterone assays in Indonesian goats
The Indonesian Kacang goat (Capra hircus) is fecund and is perfect for tropical countries but its production and population have not been optimised. Livestock reproductive improvement requires hormone monitoring. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radio-immuno assay (RIA) are required…
Effect of safflower oil supplementation in quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) diets on growth performance, blood antioxidant status, caecal short-chain fatty acid content, and biomechanical properties of bones
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of safflower oil supplementation in quail diets on growth performance, blood antioxidant status, caecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, and tibia–femur biomechanical properties. A total of 180 one-day-old quail chicks…
Anti-oxidative stress system cooperating with IgA promotes the low temperature adaptation of Rongchang piglets
Young animals are more susceptible to temperature; mild cold stress results in body damage and decreased productivity. Some studies have demonstrated that minor damage caused by hypothermia can be self-recovering, but this mechanism remains to be explored. Thirty Rongchang piglets…
Effects of rearing systems on growth performance and meat quality of Wuding chickens
The study was conducted to investigate the different rearing systems on growth performance and meat quality of Wuding chickens (local native breeds in Yunnan Province of P. R. China). A total of 240, 70-day-old Wuding chickens with similar weight were…
Carcass traits and primal pork cuts of growing Windsnyer pigs fed diets containing Amarula oil cake
Carcass characteristics and primal pork cuts of local pig breeds are rarely documented, therefore, the current study was conducted to establish the relation between incremental levels of Amarula oil cake (AOC), carcass traits, primal pork cuts, and relative internal organ…
Egg shelf life, welfare, and physiological responses in jumbo quail hens fed a diet containing raw or heat-treated cassava tuber meal
The study assessed the effect of total replacement of maize with raw or heat-treated cassava tuber meal (CTM) on egg shelf life, welfare indicators, and physiological and carcass traits of laying jumbo quail hens. Two hundred and forty, six-week-old quail…
Effects of functional additives on production and economic performance of heavy and light bodyweights of nursery piglets
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of seven different types of additives on the production performance and economic benefits of piglets at the nursery stage. A total of 2806 piglets, at ~21 days of age, were…
Increasing the nutritive value of a rice straw-based diet using mulberry and Leucaena to promote the growth performance of lambs
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of substituting urea and rice bran with mulberry or a mixture of mulberry and Leucaena in the diet on growth rate, feed intake, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen fermentation, estimated…
The effect of dietary non-protein nitrogen content on the meat quality of finishing lambs
The effect of increasing the non-protein nitrogen content of low-fibre finishing diets on the meat quality of South African Mutton Merino wether lambs was investigated. Four similar dietary treatments were formulated with different non-protein nitrogen contents (16.6 g/kg, 28.3 g/kg,…
Growth performance and meat quality of Cobb 500 broilers fed phytase- and tannase-treated, sorghum-based diets
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of phytase and tannase addition in broiler diets on the growth performance and meat quality of broilers fed sorghum-based diets. Twelve experimental diets were formulated at three sorghum levels (0, 50, and 100%)…
Biochemical parameters of cedar (Mezla) honey
This study was conducted to determine the characteristics of cedar honey, which is an important honeydew honey produced on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The geographical classification of the honey was determined by applying carbon isotope, honey colour, aromatic compound,…
Using Nigella sativa seed meal as a substitute for soybean meal in broiler diets
The proximate chemical composition, mineral, fatty acid, and amino acid profiles of Nigella seed meal (NSM) was determined. In addition, apparent (AAAU) and true (TAAU) amino acid utilization, and apparent (AMET) and true (TMET) metabolisability were determined using a force-feeding…
A bibliometric analysis of brucellosis research (1991–2022): Research trends and hotspots
Brucellosis is an important, highly contagious, bacterial zoonotic disease that has economic and public health implications. It is caused by various Brucella species with a wide host range including livestock, wildlife, other terrestrial animals, and humans. Despite the availability of…
Assessment of solar power-assisted cooling system for heat stress management in HF Deoni crossbred cows
A solar power-assisted system was developed and installed to create optimum, healthy environmental conditions inside the animal house. An improved animal house of 48 m2 including a manger and urine collection system was selected. The developed system consists of two…
High dietary inclusion of marula seed cake induces detrimental effects on performance, visceromorphometry, and immuno-physiology of broiler chickens
This study investigated the effects of incremental dietary levels of marula seed cake (MSC) in partial replacement of soyabean meal (SBM) and maize on growth performance, viscera macromorphometry, carcass traits, and haemato-biochemistry of broiler chickens during the starter, grower, and…
Chia flour as a substitute for pork fat in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fishburgers
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of chia flour (Salvia hispanica L.) as a substitute for pork fat in formulations of fishburgers made with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Five formulations, one control (without…
Animal welfare practices in livestock farms from the perspective of veterinarians: Northeast Anatolia region in Turkiye
The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of veterinarians providing clinical services in the northeast Anatolia region regarding the compliance of enterprises in the region with animal welfare standards. A survey was sent to veterinarians working in…
Degradable protein requirements of beef cattle consuming winter forage hay
A trial was conducted to determine the total rumen degradable protein intake (RDPI) required to maximise the digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) of beef cows consuming low quality grass hay from the northern variation of Cymbopogon–Themeda pasture type. Thirty-five pregnant…
