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
Chemical composition and nutritive value of South African sorghum varieties as feed for broiler chickens
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is the fifth most important grain crop after wheat, rice, maize and barley. It is cultivated for food and feed in America, Asia, Australia and Africa. Newly developed sorghum varieties should be evaluated for their…
Potential enhancing effects of a carbohydrase mixture on phytase efficacy in late-phase laying hens fed wheat-based diets
A total of 360 65-week-old Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens was used in a six-week experiment to examine the potential enhancing effects of a commercial carbohydrase preparation on phytase efficacy. Two cultivars of wheat (Marvdasht and Sardari) were used to formulate…
Description of carcass classification goals and the current situation in South Africa
Carcass classification is an essential part of efficient animal production, price fixing and meeting consumer demands. Carcass classification (or grading) is based on the description of carcasses by means of clearly defined characteristics that are of prime importance to the…
The beef tenderness model
In Phase1 of this study, three breed types (Simmentaler-, Brahman- and Nguni bulls; n = 60 each) were grain-fed and slaughtered at 12 months of age (A-age, fat-class 2). Feed was withdrawn for either three hours or 24 hours pre-slaughter…
Proteomics approach as a new way to predict tenderness as compared to the classical South African Beef Carcass Classification System
The current South African Beef Carcass Classification System classifies carcasses using physical attributes such as age, fatness code and the conformation of the carcass as the only indicator of tenderness, implying that optimal tender meat is obtained from carcasses from…
Visual evaluation of beef tenderness by using surface structural observations and its relationship to meat colour
The study describes the relationship between visual and instrumental measurements for colour and tenderness between five South African beef breeds: Bos indicus (Brahman), Sanga type (Nguni), British Bos taurus (Angus), European Bos taurus (Charolais) and the composite (Bonsmara). Ten animals…
Relevance of the formal red meat classification system to the South African informal livestock sector
In 1992 the South African meat industry was deregulated and this led to the formation of the new Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, Act no. 47 of 1996. The Act made provisions for producers to sell animals to customers of…
Associations between animal traits, carcass traits and carcass classification in a selected abattoir in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
In this study the associations between animal traits, carcass traits and carcass classification within cattle, sheep and pigs slaughtered in a high throughput abattoir were determined. Classes of carcasses from cattle, sheep and pigs delivered for slaughter at this abattoir…
Sources of variation in quality of South African beef: Case studies in relation to the red meat classification system
The South African classification system describes beef carcasses in regard to visual fat cover, conformation and age by dentition. Animal age provides a fairly accurate description of expected eating quality in regard to tenderness in an industry where other sources…
Fat quality of South African pigs with different carcass classification characteristics
The carcasses of South African pigs are classified into six groups (PORCUS) according to their calculated lean meat content and measured backfat thickness. Pigs with the highest lean meat content and lowest backfat thickness belong to the P group. Fat…
Nutrient content of South African red meat and the effect of age and production system
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Changes in the composition of South African red meat
Red meat often evokes a wide array of complex and contradictory arguments. It is viewed as the most expensive component of any diet, supplying many essential nutrients as part of a healthy, prudent eating plan. Yet, red meat is non-homogenous,…
A consumer perspective of the South African red meat classification system
The South African consumer market is characterised by socio-economic and cultural diversity. Food expenditure patterns, behaviour and preferences differ significantly between the various socio-economic sub-groups. Packaging information, including red meat classification information, could be an important tangible resource used by…
Variability in ejaculation rate and libido of boars during reproductive exploitation
The main objective of the study was to evaluate variability in the ejaculation rate and libido of boars under various genetic and non-genetic influences. A total of 7171 semen samples were collected from Swedish Landrace, Large White and Duroc boars…
Intestinal morphology, digestive organ size and digesta pH of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with or without Moringa oleifera leaf meal
The intestinal morphology and pH of digesta of broiler chickens at 35 days old were studied. Birds were reared on these dietary treatments (T). T1, positive control, contained 668 g salinomycin and 500 g zinc bacitracin per kg of feed…
Effects of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) seed powder and extract on performance of broiler chickens
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed powder and extract on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. A total of 420 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated randomly…
Reproductive performance of Jersey and Fleckvieh × Jersey heifers and cows maintained on a pasture-based feeding system
Crossbreeding is regarded as a faster way than using pure dairy breeds to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cows, which is pivotal to farm income. The reproductive performances of Jersey and Fleckvieh × Jersey (F × J) heifers and…
Fatty acid composition of beef steers as affected by diet and fat depot
Subcutaneous and perirenal fatty acid (FA) profiles were compared in steers fed a control diet (70 : 30 red clover silage (RC) : barley concentrate), a diet with sunflower seed (SS) substituted for barley, and diets with 15% or 30%…
Effects of niacin supplementation (40 weeks) and two dietary levels of concentrate on performance, blood and fatty acid profiles of dairy cattle
The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of 24 g niacin (nicotinic acid (NA)) supplementation over 40 weeks with two forage-to-concentrate ratios (60% concentrate vs. 30% in the total diet) on performance variables of energy metabolism such as…
