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
Analysis of inbreeding of the South African Dairy Swiss breed (Short communication)
In South Africa, the Dairy Swiss breed, which originated in Switzerland, consists of 27 breeders and 1135 breeding cows. Pedigree information on the breed was analysed to determine its effective population size (Ne) and rate of inbreeding. The rate of…
High levels of maize in broiler diets with or without microbial enzyme supplementation
A total of 210 day-old male Cobb broiler chickens were randomly assigned to six treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial design. The treatments consisted of three levels of maize: 250 g/kg (LM), 500 g/kg (MM) and 750 g/kg diet…
Effects of ultrasonic waves on eggshell strength and hatchability of layer-type breeder eggs
Two trials were conducted to investigate the effects of exposing layer-type breeder eggs before incubation to ultrasonic waves (ULT). Eggs were subjected to ULT of 117 volts at 40 kHz for up to 15 minutes. Eggshell breaking force (EBF), hatchability…
Evaluation of the BovineSNP50 genotyping array in four South African cattle populations (Short communication)
The BovineSNP50 genotyping array is a product with a wide range of applications in cattle such as genome-wide association studies, identification of copy number variation and investigation of genetic relationships among cattle breeds. It also holds potential for genomic selection,…
Oestrus induction using fluorogestone acetate sponges and equine chorionic gonadotrophin in Red Sokoto goats
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a progestagen treatment (fluorogestone acetate sponge) alone or in combination with equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) on oestrus response in Red Sokoto (RS) goats. One hundred RS does were treated…
Beef cattle welfare evaluation during the dry season in the northern Mexico’s cow-calf system using a visual methodology
A cattle welfare index was estimated through 14 visual indicators in the cow-calf system in northern Mexico. The study was carried out at 25 ranches in Chihuahua, Mexico. The indicators were rangeland forage availability; rangeland plant diversity; ease of walking…
In vitro fermentation of diets incorporating carob pulp using inoculum from rabbit caecum
The aim of this work was to evaluate the nutritive value of carob pulp for rabbits using the in vitro digestibility and gas production techniques with inocula from caecal content of rabbits. Experimental diets contained 0% (D1), 10% (D2), 20%…
Comparison of proximate and fatty acid compositions of wild brown trout and farmed rainbow trout
The purpose of this study was to compare the fatty acid and proximate composition of two commercially exploited trout species (wild brown trout (WBT) and farmed rainbow trout (FRT)). The mean crude lipid content in FRT (4.3%) was significantly higher…
Changes in the air cell volume of artificially incubated ostrich eggs
A total of 2160 images of candled, incubated ostrich eggs were digitized to determine the percentage of egg volume occupied by the air cell at different stages of incubation. The air cell on average occupied 2.5% of the volume of…
A survey on the effect of transport method on bruises, pH and colour of meat from cattle slaughtered at a South African commercial abattoir
In this study the effect of transport method on bruising, ultimate pH (pHu) and colour of beef (L* = lightness, a* = redness and b* = yellowness) was determined. Cattle transported directly from farms had the highest bruise scores, pHu…
Genetic parameters for production traits and somatic cell score of the SA Dairy Swiss population
The SA Dairy Swiss population could not previously be incorporated into the National Dairy Genetic Evaluation System, owing to inadequate population numbers and data structures. However, in recent years participation in Milk Recording has improved sufficiently to allow for genetic…
Carcass properties, chemical content and fatty acid composition of the musculus longissimus of different pig genotypes
The aim of this study was to examine carcass properties and variability in chemical content and fatty acid composition in the musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis (MLLT) of different genotypes of pigs. Of 36 male castrated animals used in the…
Effective population size and inbreeding rate of indigenous Nguni cattle under in situ conservation in the low-input communal production system (Short communication)
Nineteen rural Nguni cattle enterprises managed at communal and small-scale level were used in a study to determine population genetic parameters, level of Nguni genetic contribution, and risk status of community-based animal genetic resources. Chi-square tests were performed to ascertain…
Crossbreeding to increase beef production: additive and non-additive effects on weight traits
Using breed differences effectively facilitates high productivity and profitability. Thus, the objective of the study was to estimate direct and maternal additive and heterosis effects for growth traits (birth weight, weaning weight, 19-month weight of heifers and cow weight) from…
Impact of Line 1 germplasm on South African Hereford cattle (Short communication)
The goal of this research was to document the influence of Line 1 Hereford cattle, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture at its research facility in Miles City, Montana, on Hereford cattle in South Africa. Analytical approaches made…
Effect of crude glycerol from South African biodiesel production on growth, carcass characteristics and pork quality of pigs
A study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of crude glycerol as a partial replacement of maize at 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg in pig grower diets. Three experimental diets were formulated, a control (CN) and…
Germination as a processing technique for soybeans in small-scale farming
Heat processing is an effective way of reducing antinutritional factors (ANFs) in legumes, but requires expensive facilities and equipment. Accurate control of temperature is critical to avoid under- or overheating. Therefore, heat treatment of soybeans is not a viable option…
The PRNP gene polymorphism in Rough-coated Pomeranian Landrace sheep
Prion protein (PrP) is a membrane glycoprotein whose abnormal form is believed to cause a group of disorders known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which affect the brain and nervous system of both human beings and animals. The most familiar…
Herbal extracts and organic acids as natural feed additives in pig diets (Review article)
This article summarizes experimental knowledge of the efficacy, modes of action and applications of herbal extracts and organic acids as feed additives for pigs. Herbal extracts comprise a wide variety of herbs, spices and, most importantly, essential oils. Organic acids,…
Effects of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) root extract on egg production performance and egg quality of laying hens
This study was conducted to determine the effect of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) root extract (PGRE) on egg production and egg quality characteristics of hens at the beginning of their laying period (20 weeks old). Four groups of…
