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
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…
Genome-wide genetic diversity, population structure and admixture analysis in Eritrean Indigenous Cattle
Indigenous cattle play a vital role in subsistence and livelihood of pastoral producers in Eritrea. In order to optimally utilize and conserve these valuable indigenous cattle genetic resources, the need to carry out an inventory of their genetic diversity was…
Effect of an extruded linseed diet on meat quality traits in Nero Lucano pigs
The study aimed to evaluate the effect of a diet containing extruded linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) on growth performances, carcass traits and meat quality in Nero Lucano pigs. Sixteen male piglets were weaned at about 50 days of age and…
Digestible lysine effects on gene expression by Japanese quails in the pre-laying phase
This study aimed to determine the effects of digestible lysine levels in the diets of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on performance, blood parameters and the expression of insulin-like growth factor I, and growth hormone receptor (GHR), apolipoprotein A-I (APOA-I),…
Influence of production systems and sex on nutritional value and meat quality of native Malawian Muscovy ducks
This study was conducted to assess effects of production systems and sex on nutritional value and meat quality of native Malawian Muscovy ducks. One hundred twenty ducks were randomly assigned to either an intensive (IS), duck-rice integration (DR) or free-range…
Performance of fast, medium and slow growing broilers in indoor and free-range production systems
This study compared growth and carcass traits of 2 medium-growth crossbred, 4 slow-growth crossbred, 1 commercial slow-growth and 1 commercial fast-growth broiler strains raised in indoor and free-range production systems. One hundred twenty chicks of each strain were raised in…
Effect of salt concentrations on in vitro rumen fermentation of cellulose, starch, and protein
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of various concentrations of three salts (sodium chloride (NaCl), magnesium chloride (MgCl2), and calcium chloride (CaCl2)) on the in vitro rumen fermentation of cellulose, starch, and protein substrates. Six salt…
