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
Physico-chemical quality attributes and fatty acid profiles of pork from Windsnyer and Large White gilts
The objective of the study was to assess the physico-chemical pork quality attributes and fatty acid profiles of indigenous Windsnyer (WS) and Large White (LW) gilts. Twelve gilts of each breed were fed similar commercial diets from weaning until slaughter…
Editorial: How to respond to reviewers’ comments
In my first 100 days of editing the South African Journal of Animal Science, I have found that most authors are having difficulties in addressing and responding to reviewers’/editors’ comments. Some authors have not been submitting response notes which clearly…
Alternative approaches to evaluation of cow efficiency
The purpose of this study was to evaluate alternative expressions of genetic merit for cow efficiency. Weights of Pinzgauer cattle taken at birth, weaning, and maturity were extracted from the South African National Database. Average daily gain from birth to…
Prolactin-RsaI gene polymorphism in East Anatolian Red cattle in Turkey
Prolactin (PRL) plays an important role in regulating mammary gland development, secreting milk, and expressing milk protein genes; making it a potential genetic marker and a candidate gene for production traits in dairy animals. The aim of the study was…
Effects of feeding cassava pulp fermented with Acremonium charticola on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality of broiler chicks
Cassava pulp is an energy-rich by-product of the tapioca industry, and is known as a good media for growing filamentous fungi. It may therefore be not only an alternative to maize in poultry diets, but also a carrier for beneficial…
Oestrus synchronization with fixed-time artificial insemination in smallholder pig production systems in north-east India: Success rate and benefits
Pig production is an important component of the farming systems that are practised in the north-eastern region of India and it has special significance for improving the socio-economic status of tribal farmers in the region. In an effort to optimize…
Modelling functional and structural impact of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of the DQA1 gene of three Nigerian goat breeds
The DQA1 gene is a member of the highly polymorphic MHC class II locus that is responsible for the differences among individuals in immune response to infectious agents. In this study, the authors performed a comprehensive computational analysis of the…
Effect of age on production characteristics of Boschveld indigenous chickens of South Africa reared intensively
The Boschveld indigenous chicken is a breed that was developed in South Africa for rural household free-range production of meat and eggs. A performance test was carried out to identify their production characteristics when reared intensively, and to estimate the…
Effect of supplementing or treating Eragrostis curvula hay with urea or nitrate on its digestibility and in vitro fermentation
The potential of dietary nitrate to reduce enteric methane, apart from it being a source of rumen-degradable nitrogen, has stimulated further research into its use. However, not much has been reported on its suitability in feed treatment. The objective of…
Effect of lavender (Lavandula Stoechas) essential oil on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and antioxidant status of broilers
The study evaluated the effect of essential oils from lavender (Lavandula stoaches) (LEO), on growth performance, carcass quality and antioxidant status of broilers. Three nutritionally adequate diets were composed with the addition of LEO at 0, 24, and 48 mg/kg…
Investigation into the effect of season on oestrus in gilts over two years of climate adaptation
This study examined the changes in age at first oestrus, the weaning-to-oestrus interval (WEI), and duration of oestrus (DE) in a Yorkshire sow population during two years of adaptation from a northern (55°48′N, 9°13′W) European region to a southern (44°03′N,…
Effects of initial fattening age on carcass characteristics and meat quality in Simmental bulls imported from Austria to Turkey
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of initial fattening age on carcass and meat quality of Simmental bulls imported from Austria to Turkey. These animals were allocated to two initial ages of fattening groups, namely young…
Evaluation of growth, milk and manure production in Norwegian dairy goats in one highland of Tanzania 30 years after introduction
Dairy goats have been imported into Tanzania since the 1960s to improve the milk production of Small East African (SEA) goats through crossbreeding. The SEA goats have poor genetic potential for milk. Although crossbreeding programmes started in the early 1980s,…
Sperm DNA damage in relation to lipid peroxidation following freezing-thawing of boar semen (Short communication)
This study investigated the relationships between lipid peroxidation (LPO) and sperm DNA damage following freezing-thawing of boar semen in different extenders. The comet assay was used to measure the extent of sperm DNA damage in a cryoprotectant-free extender or in…
Palm kernel expeller increases milk fat content when fed to grazing dairy cows
Palm kernel expeller (PKE) is a feed by-product that is used by the dairy and beef industries. This study investigated the effect of partially replacing maize with PKE in a dairy concentrate on milk and ruminal fermentation parameters of Jersey…
Pre-slaughter bodyweight and daily gains in mink are independent of the housing system
The research hypothesis assumed that the size of the cage affects bodyweight after weaning and prior to slaughter and, as a consequence, mean daily bodyweight gains in individuals of both sexes. The study was conducted from 2014 to 2015 at…
The effect of quercetin on fertility of frozen-thawed ram epididymal spermatozoa
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of quercetin as an antioxidant supplement on frozen-thawed ram epididymal sperm quality. Quercetin is a type of flavonoid antioxidant that is found in plants, with the ability to scavenge…
Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass between species by the fractal dimension of the vascular system and body composition
Exercise-induced maximum aerobic metabolic rate (MMR) is related to the fractal dimension (D) of the self-similar vascular blood transport system by a whole body mass (Mw) power with exponent b of the form b = D/3. The principle of self-similarity…
Effect of post-slaughter handling during distribution on microbiological quality and safety of meat in the formal and informal sectors of South Africa: A review
Global reports on illnesses and deaths related to food consumption continue to raise concern in most countries. This has led to diligent efforts to improve the manner in which food is handled. Hygienic handling of carcasses after slaughter is critical…
Methane, nitrous oxide emissions and mitigation strategies for livestock in developing countries: A review
Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two important greenhouse gases (GHGs) that are emitted into the atmosphere by livestock during the process of enteric fermentation and manure management. Developing countries produce a large quantity of those emissions, caused mainly…
