The South African Journal of Animal Science is an open access journal. The journal publishes reports of research dealing with production of farmed animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and ostriches), as well as pertinent aspects of research on aquatic and wildlife species. All submitted articles are subjected to a single-blind peer review process that is managed by a sub-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.
The South African Journal of Animal Science makes use of an Online Journal Management System that was developed in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council to facilitate the manuscript submission and review process. Authors are kindly requested to submit all articles for publication in the South African Journal of Animal Science via the Online Journal Management system.
If you experience any problems with the system, please contact the editor-in-chief at sajas.eic@gmail.com.
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Effects of thermal stress on physiological state and hormone concentrations in Holstein cows under arid climatic conditions
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress on the physiology of dairy cows and to detect the relationship between rectal temperature (RT) and respiration rate (RR), heart rate (HR), and plasma concentrations of cortisol, thyroxine, and…
Statistical assessment of feeding corn with higher oil content to piglets in the starter phase
The aim of this study was to assess the digestibility coefficients (DC) of corn [maize] with an oil content above 3.46% and its effects on the performance of piglets when fed as dry grain (DG) and as rehydrated corn grain…
Effects on egg production and quality of supplementing drinking water with calcium and magnesium
This study was conducted to appraise the effects on egg quality and production performance of laying hens when drinking water was supplemented with calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). A total of 384 (64-week-old) Hy-line Brown laying hens were assigned at…
Propolis supplementation affects performance, intestinal morphology, and bacterial population of broiler chickens
A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effect of supplementing the diet of broiler chickens with propolis on growth, bacterial population of the intestine, antiviral serum concentration, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzyme activities in broiler chickens. Forty peer-reviewed articles that…
Dietary Catharanthus roseus modulates intestinal microarchitecture in broilers
The study evaluated the efficacy of ethanolic extracts of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) in altering growth performance, viscera development and intestinal microarchitecture in broilers. Day-old broiler chicks (n = 175) were randomly divided into seven groups (n = 25/group) with…
Effect of garlic supplementation on zootechnical performance and hepato-renal functions in nitrate-treated rabbits
The effect of garlic supplementation on zootechnical performance and hepato-renal functions of rabbits exposed to experimental nitrate poisoning was evaluated. Adult male 6-8 week-old albino rabbits (n= 24) were randomly divided into four groups (A - D) and subjected to…
Use of Lactobacillus farciminis to improve antioxidant status of Tuj lambs
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus farciminis on growth traits and antioxidant status in preweaning and postweaning Tuj lambs. Twenty lambs were divided into four groups, regardless of gender, with a mean live weight…
Effects of feed with different protein digestion kinetic profiles on intestinal health of growing pigs
This study evaluated the effects of feed ingredients with different protein digestion kinetic profiles on the intestinal health of growing pigs. Two protein sources were selected, namely casein (CAS) as a rapid release source of amino acids (AAs), and corn…
Fractionation of carbohydrates and proteins and in vitro rumen kinetics of corn silage under various storage durations
The experiment evaluated the effects on the chemical composition (fermentation, kinetic parameters, and protein and carbohydrate fractions) of corn silage after various storage durations (45, 90, 180, and 360 days). Experimental mini silos of the corn plants were made and…
Partial replacement of DL-Methionine and methionine hydroxy analogue with betaine in diets for broiler chickens
The study evaluated the effects on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens of DL-Methionine (DL-Met) and methionine hydroxy analogue (MHA) supplementation and their partial replacement with betaine (Bet). Two experiments were performed from day 1 to 21…
Nutritive value of full-fat dehulled sunflower seeds in diets for broiler chickens
The goal of this research was to evaluate the nutritive value of full-fat de-hulled sunflower seeds (DHSS) in feeding broiler chickens. Three experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 determined the proximal analysis of DHSS, the essential amino acid content, and apparent…
Moringa oleofera leaf meal as a feed supplement for dairy calves
The study evaluated the effects of supplements of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on blood biochemistry and growth of pre-weaned Holstein calves (n = 48). Four-day-old calves were blocked (based on order of birth and birth weight) and randomly allocated…
Sprinkler flow rate affects physiological, behavioural and production responses of Holstein cows during heat stress
Heat stress is a major challenge for dairy cows in summer. Sprinklers at feed bunks are commonly used to cool cows. These sprinklers use groundwater, which is becoming limited. There is a need to explore a more efficient use of…
Effects of different feeding systems on growth, fat accumulation and semen quality of Merino-type sheep
In South Africa, supplemental feeding is provided to improve the condition of breeding livestock before the animals are sold by the stud breeders to commercial farmers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different ram rearing systems on growth,…
Effects of Bacillus spp. as a supplemental probiotic in diets for weaned piglets
This article evaluated the effects of supplemental probiotic Bacillus subtilis (Bs) ATCC 6051a (1.6x109 cfu/mL) in diets for weaned piglets on their performance and on the occurrence of diarrhoea. Sixty piglets, 30 ±3 days old with initial bodyweight of 8.41±0.92…
Effect of dietary supplementation with L-Carnitine and fenofibrate on broiler chickens
A factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of L-Carnitine and fenofibrate on broilers. There were four replicates of four treatments, with each replicate including ten male Ross 308 broiler chickens. The experiment was conducted over a 42-day period.…
Response of zebrafish to royal jelly supplementation and differences in stocking density
Dietary supplementation with royal jelly (RJ) may improve growth, antioxidant gene expression, and intestinal antioxidant capacity, and possibly mitigate effects of stress induced by high stocking density (HSD) in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Effects of HSD and RJ supplementation on growth…
Fattening performance, carcass traits, and profitability of Aberdeen Angus and Holstein Friesian bulls in Turkey
The aim of this study was to compare Aberdeen Angus (AA) and Holstein Friesian (HF) bulls in Turkey based on fattening performance, carcass properties, and production costs. In the trial, 105 AA and 105 HF 10- to 12-month-old bulls with…
Concentrations of metal residues in domestically produced and imported milk in Kosovo
The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of metal residues in cows’ milk and the health risks to humans from its consumption. In total 37 milk samples were analysed, namely 32 raw milk samples from domestic rural…
Effects of feeding systems on yield and performance of Linda geese (Anserinae sp.) in hot climatic conditions
This study evaluated the effects of various types of feeding on fattening period and performance of Linda geese. Feeding patterns consisted of concentrate feed-based intensive and pasture feed-based semi-intensive. A total of 150 goslings aged three days were divided into…
