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 (2025): 0.8 (Q4 of subject category)
Scimago (SJR) (2025): 0.231 (Q3)
Scopus CiteScore (2025): 1.4
Determining the effects of black cumin seed oil on performance and meat fatty acid profile of broiler chickens
This study was designed to investigate the effects of adding black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seed (BCS) oil to diets for broiler chickens on their performance and the meat fatty acid profile of the meat. Broiler chicks were assigned to…
Effect of dietary protein level on growth and body condition score of male Beetal goats during summer
The effects of feeding various dietary protein levels on the fattening of male Beetal goats were investigated. Twenty-seven bucks (initial bodyweight 35 ± 0.5 kg) between 12 and 16 months old were randomly assigned to one of three treatments The…
Effects of electrical stimulation and age at slaughter on carcass and meat quality of two Sudanese Baggara beef types
This study aimed to evaluate the influences of electrical stimulation (ES), age at slaughter, and breed type on muscle pH, the decline in carcass temperature, and meat quality attributes of Sudanese indigenous Baggara cattle. Eighty Baggara bulls, representative of Nyalawi…
Thyme (Thymbra spicata L.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and vitamin E supplementation of laying hens
This study was conducted to determine the effects on performance, egg quality parameters and some serum profiles of vitamin E, thyme and rosemary extracts that were added to laying hen feeds. One hundred twelve 48-week-old Bovans-genotype white laying hens were…
Safflower seeds in the diet of feedlot lambs improved fat carcass, colour, and fatty acid profile of the meat
The aim of this study was to evaluate intake, performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs fed finishing diets containing 0%, 7.5% and 15% safflower seeds (Carthamus tinctorius) as a replacement for corn and soybean meal. Thirty-six male lambs…
Substitution of Leucaena hay for oil seed cake meal in total mixed rations for goats
This study investigated the effects of incorporating different protein sources (oil seed cakes versus Leucaena leucocephala hay) in a total mixed ration (TMR) on intake, digestibility, growth and carcass meat quality of Saanen goats. Sixteen Saanen male goats were allocated…
Use of a hydroalcoholic extract of Salix alba L. bark powder in diets of broilers exposed to high heat stress
A study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary hydroalcoholic willow bark extract powder (HWE) supplemented to broilers (14–42 days old) that were exposed to heat stress, on the performance, serum biochemical parameters, liver oxidative status and caecal microflora…
Effects of fermented wheat-rice distillers dried grains with solubles on meat quality and amino acid profile in broilers
The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of replacing distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with fermented DDGS (FDDGS) on meat quality and serum amino acid profiles in Chinese yellow broilers. Forty-eight 42-day-old male Chinese yellow broilers…
Morphological and physiological characteristics of claw quality in South African Bonsmara cattle
Sound claws are essential for beef cattle, given the marked influence they have on functional longevity and subsequent performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological and physiological claw characteristics of Bonsmara SA beef cattle in the major…
Bromide: A potential risk to livestock production in South Africa
Bromide (Br-) concentrations (mg/L) in groundwater range from no observed adverse effect levels (NOAEL), which is considered safe, and increase to constituent of concern (COC) when the concentrations approach the recommended maximum levels for safety, and to potentially hazardous chemical…
Effects of pasture type and level of concentrate supplementation on quality and fatty acid profile of lamb meat
Objectives of this study were to evaluate effects of grazing tropical forage species and level of supplementation with grain on characteristics of lamb meat. Ninety-day-old lambs (n = 36) (22.54 ± 2.72 kg) were randomly assigned to a 2 x…
Microbial additives affect silage quality and ruminal dry matter degradability of avocado (Persia Americana) pulp silage
This study evaluated effects of microbial inoculation on fermentation, aerobic stability and ruminal dry matter (DM) degradation of silage produced from Avocado (Persia Americana) pulp (AP). The AP, 800 g/kg fresh matter (FM) was mixed with 150 g grape pumice…
Effects of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) augmentation of alfalfa silages
The aim of this study was to determine the chemical, fermentation, and microbiological properties of alfalfa silages that were augmented with lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and to appraise their in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), metabolizable energy (ME), and net energy…
Effect of controlled breeding on performance of beef cattle in Central Bushveld bioregion
In most extensive beef production systems in South Africa, calves are weaned at specific dates. This implies that cows that calve late in the season wean younger and lighter calves. In the current study, Bonsmara cows were mated naturally after…
Genetic diversity and differentiation among Korean-Holstein, Hanwoo, and Uganda-Holstein breeds
The aim of this research was to assess genetic diversity of Korean-Holstein, Korean Hanwoo, and Ugandan-Holstein dairy cattle. DNA was extracted from either blood or hair of Korean-Holstein (n=74), Korean-Hanwoo (n=75) and Ugandan-Holstein (N=77) using AccuPrep® PCR purification kit. The…
Carryover effects of varying hay concentration on the transition to silage-based feeding of weaned dairy calves
Objectives of the experiment were to determine effects of dietary hay concentration in a dry total mixed ration and its carryover effects on intake, growth performance, faecal score, and feed efficiency of weaned dairy calves. Eighteen Friesian × Jersey weaned…
Genetic improvement of sow longevity and its economic impact on commercial pork production
Sow longevity (sow productive lifetime) plays an important role in economically efficient piglet production. Direct selection for sow longevity is not commonly practiced in any pig-breeding program. In recent years, an increased number of peer reviewed articles addressing the economic…
Response of growing chicks to supplementation of low protein diets with leucine, valine and glycine-glutamic acid
This experiment was conducted to determine the interaction effects that resulted from supplementation of low-protein diets with leucine (Leu), valine (Val), and glycine-glutamic acid (Gly-Glu) on growing broiler chicks from 11 to 24 days old. Two levels of digestible Leu…
Effects of dietary beef tallow on performance, rumen fermentation, carcass traits and meat quality of growing lambs
Growing lambs were evaluated for the effect of increasing dietary levels of beef tallow (BT) on performance, rumen fermentation, and carcass and meat characteristics. Twenty-one 5-month-old male Rambouillet lambs were assigned randomly to one of three diets with 0, 20,…
Supplemental chromium-loaded chitosan nanoparticles affect growth, serum metabolites and intestinal histology in broilers
The goal of the present research was to evaluate the effects of chromium-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (Cr-CNPs) on production performance, viscera development, serum metabolites and intestinal histology in broilers. Two hundred (200) day-old broilers were randomly divided into five groups with…
