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
Rumen characteristics and feed utilization in goats fed with biologically treated oil palm fronds as roughage in a total mixed ration
Six male crossbred (Thai Native x Anglo Nubian) goats, 33.5 ± 1.7 kg body weight (BW), were randomly assigned to a 3 x 3 replicated Latin square design to investigate the effects of fungal-treated oil palm fronds (FTOPF) on feed…
Rumen characteristics and feed utilization in goats fed with biologically treated oil palm fronds as roughage in a total mixed ration
Six male crossbred (Thai Native x Anglo Nubian) goats, 33.5 ± 1.7 kg body weight (BW), were randomly assigned to a 3 x 3 replicated Latin square design to investigate the effects of fungal-treated oil palm fronds (FTOPF) on feed…
Prediction of foal individual primal cuts yield using video image analysis
The aim of this work was to use video image analysis (VIA) technology to predict the individual primal cuts of the equine carcass. For this study, a total of 42 foal carcasses were dissected into eight primal cuts (shoulder, top…
Prediction of foal individual primal cuts yield using video image analysis
The aim of this work was to use video image analysis (VIA) technology to predict the individual primal cuts of the equine carcass. For this study, a total of 42 foal carcasses were dissected into eight primal cuts (shoulder, top…
The effect of crude protein intake on sperm quality of young and old male broiler breeders
This experiment compared fertility of male broiler breeders with different crude protein (CP) intakes from diets containing 9.7%, 11.7% and 13% CP from 27 to 60 weeks of age (in two phases) and in a different group of birds from…
The effect of crude protein intake on sperm quality of young and old male broiler breeders
This experiment compared fertility of male broiler breeders with different crude protein (CP) intakes from diets containing 9.7%, 11.7% and 13% CP from 27 to 60 weeks of age (in two phases) and in a different group of birds from…
Forage quality and performance of sheep in Massai grass pastures managed at pre-grazing canopy heights
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pasture height at pre-grazing of Massai grass on the quality of available forage, forage intake and the performance of lambs raised for meat production. The treatments consisted of four…
Forage quality and performance of sheep in Massai grass pastures managed at pre-grazing canopy heights
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pasture height at pre-grazing of Massai grass on the quality of available forage, forage intake and the performance of lambs raised for meat production. The treatments consisted of four…
Growth performance, fatty acid profile and lipid oxidative stability of breast muscle in chickens fed probiotics and antibiotics or their mixture
This study assessed the effects of dietary supplementation of probiotics, antibiotics and an antibiotic-probiotics mixture on growth performance of broilers, and the fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of broiler breast muscle. Â A total of 480 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb…
Growth performance, fatty acid profile and lipid oxidative stability of breast muscle in chickens fed probiotics and antibiotics or their mixture
This study assessed the effects of dietary supplementation of probiotics, antibiotics and an antibiotic-probiotics mixture on growth performance of broilers, and the fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of broiler breast muscle. Â A total of 480 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb…
Dried brewers’ grain as a replacement for soybean meal on nutrient digestibility and rumen parameters of cattle
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of replacing soybean meal with dried brewers’ grains (DBG) in intake and digestibility of the nutrients and the ruminal parameters of cattle. Four ruminal cannulated Jersey oxen with initial body…
Dried brewers’ grain as a replacement for soybean meal on nutrient digestibility and rumen parameters of cattle
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of replacing soybean meal with dried brewers’ grains (DBG) in intake and digestibility of the nutrients and the ruminal parameters of cattle. Four ruminal cannulated Jersey oxen with initial body…
Weaning-induced cell cycle arrest through up-regulation of p21 and p27 in the jejunum of piglets
This study was aimed at investigating the effects of weaning on jejunal redox status, morphology and expression of cell cycle regulators in piglets. A total of 120 new-born piglets from 12 litters were divided into two groups: the control (suckled…
Weaning-induced cell cycle arrest through up-regulation of p21 and p27 in the jejunum of piglets
This study was aimed at investigating the effects of weaning on jejunal redox status, morphology and expression of cell cycle regulators in piglets. A total of 120 new-born piglets from 12 litters were divided into two groups: the control (suckled…
Determination of vitamin B9 levels in the milk of Brown Swiss and Simmental cows using the ELISA method (Short communication)
The aim of this study was to determine the levels of folic acid in Brown Swiss and Simmental cows’ milk by the competitive ELISA method. Brown Swiss and Simmental cows’ milk samples were collected from two dairies between February and…
Application of immunocastration in a commercial Dohne Merino ram flock before weaning (Technical note)
The influence of pre-weaning immunocastration on the growth, incidences of reaction to vaccination, serum testosterone concentration and slaughter performance of ram lambs was determined and compared to that of physically castrated lambs. Immunocastration was performed using two doses of 2…
Application of immunocastration in a commercial Dohne Merino ram flock before weaning (Technical note)
The influence of pre-weaning immunocastration on the growth, incidences of reaction to vaccination, serum testosterone concentration and slaughter performance of ram lambs was determined and compared to that of physically castrated lambs. Immunocastration was performed using two doses of 2…
Effects of non-genetic factors on the inter-calving period of Nguni cows in South Africa (Short communication)
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of geographical regions of South Africa on the inter-calving period of Nguni cows. Data of Nguni cows (n = 26 681) from 427 Nguni breeders in the Savannah and the…
Effect of quercetin supplementation on the growth, feed efficiency and serum hormone levels of New Zealand White rabbits
Meat rabbits could provide a new avenue for agricultural development in South Africa, and flavonoids may be able to improve their live performance. This study investigated the effects of quercetin dihydrate (0 and 2 g/kg feed) on the growth parameters…
Effect of quercetin supplementation on the growth, feed efficiency and serum hormone levels of New Zealand White rabbits
Meat rabbits could provide a new avenue for agricultural development in South Africa, and flavonoids may be able to improve their live performance. This study investigated the effects of quercetin dihydrate (0 and 2 g/kg feed) on the growth parameters…
