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
Oxidation processes of Longissimus dorsi from pigs supplemented with linseed oil and antioxidants
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pig fodder supplementation on lipid oxidation of Longissimus dorsi (L. dorsi ) after frozen storage at -20 °C ± 1 °C for nine months. Fodder additives included 3% linseed…
Use of sweet lupin, canola oilcake and full-fat canola as alternatives to soybean oilcake in diets for broilers
The effect of replacing soybean oilcake meal as a protein source with three levels (6.6%, 13.0% and 20.0%) of sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), canola oilcake and full-fat canola in diets for broiler chickens was examined. A control diet with soybean…
Evaluation of golden needle mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) stem waste on pullet performance and immune response
The driving force behind the interest in using natural herbs in poultry production is to eliminate the use of low-dose antibiotics. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of Flammulina velutipes mushroom waste (FVW) on performance parameters,…
Application of the climate analogue concept in assessing the probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle to changing and variable climate in the Kenyan Highlands
Friesian cattle are considered the most sensitive to climate change-induced thermal stress and remain the major dairy breed in Kenya. This study applied the climate analogue concept to predict probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle in the 2050s…
Survival and development of embryos of Gallus gallus domesticus treated with inorganic bromide
The range of bromide (Br-) in groundwater sources surveyed in South Africa is 0 - 18.4 mg/L. The research aimed to establish chicken embryo sensitivity to a range of Br- treatments (mg/L) injected into fertilised Ross-308 eggs in three phases:…
Effects of replacing soybean meal with corn gluten meal on milk production and nitrogen efficiency in Holstein cows
The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal with corn gluten meal on lactation performance and nitrogen (N) efficiency in lactating Holstein dairy cows. Nine multiparous lactating cows in mid lactation…
Effects of non-steroidal growth implant and dietary zilpaterol hydrochloride on growth and carcass characteristics of feedlot lambs
The effects of steroidal growth implants alone or in combination with β-adrenergic agonist feed additives have not been studied thoroughly in mutton sheep in South African feedlot conditions. This study investigated the effects of a non-steroidal growth implant zeranol (Ralgro®),…
Use of polyethylene glycol to improve the utilisation of leguminous leaf meals in pigs: A review
The use of leguminous leaf meal as feed ingredients for pigs needs to be intensified and improved. Leguminous trees and shrubs are valuable sources of protein, amino acids, and dietary fibre for pigs. Leguminous leaf meals are abundant in the…
Effects of fermented bamboo vinegar liquid on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, faecal Escherichia coli concentration and ammonia emissions in growing pigs
Fermented bamboo vinegar liquid (FBVL) was prepared through liquid fermentation of bamboo vinegar with multispecies probiotics, and its effect on growing pigs was investigated. A 42-day feeding trial with 84 growing pigs (28.0 ± 0.08 kg) was conducted to evaluate…
Effects of air temperature on physiology and productive performance of pigs during growing and finishing phases
Thirty-six castrated male pigs were used to determine the influence of thermal environment and reduction of consumption on performance and carcass composition. Animals were housed in two climate chambers. In one, animals were in thermal comfort (TN) (22 °C), and…
Effect of lactation stage and milking frequency on milk yield from udder quarters of cows
The aim of the study was to analyse daily milk yield from udder quarters of automatically milked primiparous and multiparous cows during lactation and with changing milking frequency. The daily milk yield of udder quarters was higher in multiparous than…
Effect of energy sources on ovarian follicular dynamics and oestrous activity of Holstein cows
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of three nutritional treatments, which differed in energy level and source, on preovulatory follicles, number of follicles and oestrous activity in dairy cows. Twenty two Holstein multiparous cows from the…
Effects of energy levels and sources on plasma metabolites and live weight of Holstein cows
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of nutritional treatments, which differed after calving, on energy levels and sources on plasma metabolite profiles and live weight (LW) changes as an indication of the nutritional status in Holstein…
Meat production characteristics of Turkish native breeds: I. Fattening, slaughter and carcass traits of lambs
The present study was conducted to determine the slaughter and carcass traits of male lambs of the Akkaraman (A), Morkaraman (M), Awassi (IW), Karayaka (KR), Kıvırcık (KV) and Middle Anatolian Merino (MAM) sheep breeds. Fattening of all lambs started when…
Effect of various levels of isoflavone aglycone-enriched fermented soybean meal on redox status, serum hormones and milk quality in ewes
The study investigated the effects of various levels of isoflavone aglycone-enriched fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on the redox status, serum hormones and milk quality of ewes from late pregnancy to early lactation. Twenty Chongming White ewes were chosen and divided…
Effects of protein sources on performance, carcass composition, blood parameters and meat quality in Charolais heifers
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of feeding faba bean and sweet lupin as alternative protein sources to soybean on productive performance, blood parameters, carcass composition, and chemical-physical characteristics of meat and its fatty acid…
Partial replacement of soybean meal with pumpkin seed cake in lamb diets: Effects on carcass traits, haemato-chemical parameters and fatty acids in meat
The composition of lamb diets has an effect on production traits and meat quality, especially fatty acid proportions. Recently, in organic farming, soybean meal has frequently been replaced with feedstuffs that are rich in protein. The aim of the present…
Productive aspects of pigs fed forage cactus silage associated with feed restriction
This study aimed to evaluate the use of silage of forage cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill) in diets for finishing pigs. Two experiments were conducted: the first for digestibility and the second for performance. In the performance trial, the quantitative levels…
Short-term liquid storage of ram semen in various extenders
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three extenders on ram sperm quality after short-term liquid storage (24 hours’ holding time). The study included 20 crossbred rams (Pirot Pramenka x Wurttemberg x Ile de France), 12…
Digestible threonine and its effects on growth performance, gut morphology and carcass characteristics in broiler Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Threonine is the third limiting amino acid in corn-soy-based poultry diets and has an important role in body and intestinal development of chicken. Although work on threonine (Thr) in chicken is well established, information about the effects of digestible threonine…
