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
Performance, water intake, carcass characteristics and intestinal histomorphology of broilers supplemented with phytase
A 32-day experiment was conducted to study the effects of supplementation of phytase enzyme, Ronozyme® HiPhos (DSM Nutritional Products, Basel, Switzerland), on the production parameters, water intake, intestinal histomorphology, carcass characteristics and bone mineralization of broiler chickens. A total of…
“Male effect” and “temporary weaning” in synchronization of post-partum ovarian activity in Pelibuey ewes
To evaluate the response of the “male effect” and “temporary weaning” on the synchronization of post-partum ovarian activity in Pelibuey ewes, an experiment was carried out using 78 Pelibuey ewes with suckling lambs. The ewes were separated from their offspring…
Effects of three slow-release urea inclusions in rice straw-based diets on yearling Bali bull performances
The effects of slow-release zinc-urea complexes (ZnU), urea-impregnated zeolite (UZ) and zinc-urea-impregnated zeolite (ZnUZ) on the performance of yearling Bali bulls were assessed using 20 Bali bulls (145.3 ± 2.5 kg bodyweight (BW)), which were allocated to five treatments and…
Prediction of solid digesta passage rate using liquid passage rate as one of the input variables in ruminants
This study ascertained the influence of liquid passage rates on solid digesta passage rates and the possibilities of simultaneous prediction of solid and liquid passage rates in ruminants. Artificial neural networks were used to develop models of solid and solid-plus-liquid…
Response in nutritionally related blood metabolites, carcass traits and primal pork cuts of slow growing Windsnyer pigs fed on varying levels of potato hash silage
The response of Windsnyer pigs to diets containing varying levels of potato hash silage in nutritionally related blood biochemistry, carcass traits and primal pork was estimated. Thirty-six growing clinically healthy male Windsnyer pigs with an initial weight of 36 kg…
Production and slaughter performance of ostriches fed full-fat canola seed
Full-fat canola seed (FFCS) is a locally produced alternative protein source that has potential for inclusion in the diet of ostriches. Chicks aged 84 days and weighing 24.7 ± 0.36 kg were fed five iso-nutritional diets with varying levels of…
A glance at achievements of SASAS and animal scientists in southern Africa over more than 50 years
With the congress theme of ‘Golden Innovations for Sustainable Animal Agriculture’, it would be opportune to look not only at innovations with present and future potential, but at those ‘golden innovations’ that have been achieved and established over more than…
Genomics for the advancement of livestock production: A South African perspective
Most of the growth of human populations worldwide will be in developing countries, including South Africa. Natural resources are under immense pressure and animal scientists are faced with the challenges for increased efficiency and long-term sustainability of livestock production. Since…
Meat in a sustainable food system
Meat has been an important component of the human diet for centuries as a rich source of essential nutrients required for development, growth and maintenance. In addition to its nutritional value, meat production and processing provide employment and income generation…
Driving forces for changes in geographic range of cattle ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Africa: A review
Ticks are the most important external parasites of cattle and are known to transmit more pathogens than any other group of arthropods worldwide. About 80% of the world cattle population is at risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases, causing a…
Environmentally smart animal agriculture and integrated advisory services ameliorate the negative effects of climate change on production
The objective is to discern how Charles Darwin’s Origin of species (1859) and the theory of natural selection and evolutionary biology – ‘a grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die’– are core to…
Fertility in dairy cows and ways to improve it
The fertility of dairy cows affects the genetic improvement and financial sustainability of dairy herds. Fertility is a complex trait that is affected by several factors. Genetically, fertility is difficult to improve because of low heritability. Cows that do not…
Global poultry production: Current impact and future outlook on the South African poultry industry
Poultry meat and eggs are the largest source of animal protein in the human diet worldwide. These are the benefits of decades of poultry research investments that were aimed at developing fast-growing strains, a better understanding of nutrient metabolism and…
Effect of dietary supplementation with medium chain fatty acids on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, lipid profile and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens
The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) diet supplementation on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, serum biochemistry and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens. The study was performed on 180 one-day-old broilers of…
Effect of dietary rape seed meal on growth performance and meat quality of growing-fattening pigs
The objective of this research was to evaluate the nutritive value of rapeseed meal (RSM) as a protein source for pigs, and the effect of graded inclusion levels of RSM as a replacement for imported soybean meal (SBM) on growth…
Prediction of in vivo organic matter digestibility of ruminant feeds using in vitro techniques
Prediction equations derived from in situ and in vitro analytical techniques to determine in vivo organic matter digestibility (OMD) are useful tools to estimate the quality of livestock feed. Most derived equations are aimed at groups of feedstuffs (forages or…
Effect of Vachellia erioloba and Dichrostachys cinerea pod supplementation on performance of does and kids of Namibian Caprivi and Ovambo indigenous goats
An on-station feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of Vachellia erioloba (VE) and Dichrostachys cinerea (DC) pod supplementation on intake, doe weight changes and growth of kids. Forty-two indigenous lactating does with average weight of 35 ± 0.5…
Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous Tswana goats
Tswana goats that were kept in communal systems in three agro-ecological regions in Botswana were characterized according to phenotypic measurements and genotypic data. Objective measurements for 123 goats included bodyweight (BW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), height at withers…
Serum biochemical profile of two broiler strains supplemented with vitamin E, raw ginger (Zingiber officinale) and L-carnitine under high ambient temperatures
In this study, the authors evaluated the comparative effects of dietary supplementation of ginger (Zingiber officinale), vitamin E and L-carnitine on certain blood parameters of two strains of broilers in summer. A total of 320 broiler chicks (Hubbard and Cobb)…
Serum biochemical profile of two broiler strains supplemented with vitamin E, raw ginger (Zingiber officinale) and L-carnitine under high ambient temperatures
In this study, the authors evaluated the comparative effects of dietary supplementation of ginger (Zingiber officinale), vitamin E and L-carnitine on certain blood parameters of two strains of broilers in summer. A total of 320 broiler chicks (Hubbard and Cobb)…
