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
Growth responses, excreta quality, nutrient digestibility, bone development and meat yield traits of broiler chickens fed vegetable or animal protein diets
This study was carried out to compare the performance of broilers fed diets containing only vegetable protein (VP) with birds that received an animal protein (AP) in their diets. Cobb 500 day-old male broiler chicks (n = 256) were randomly…
Productive and reproductive performance of Dorper and its crossbreds under a Romanian semi-intensive management system
The overall objectives of the research were to evaluate the effect of cross-breeding Dorper (DO) rams with Turcana (TA) ewes on growth and reproductive performances of F1 DOxTA and R1 DOx(DOxTA) crossbred lambs reared under a semi-intensive management system; to…
Should we reject animal source foods to save the planet? A review of the sustainability of global livestock production
Within the next 40 years, the global livestock industry will have to considerably increase production in order to supply the population with animal-source foods, yet the industry must concurrently improve the three metrics of sustainability – economic viability, environmental stewardship…
A South African perspective on livestock production in relation to greenhouse gases and water usage
The general perception that livestock is a major contributor to global warming resulted mainly from the FAO publication, Livestock’s Long Shadow, in 2006, which indicated that livestock is responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This figure…
Climate change and livestock production: A review with emphasis on Africa
Climate change and its effects on existence on earth are becoming more and more relevant as physical evidence of change in our climate is beginning to mount. Livestock production and our dependence on it for survival is a reality. It…
Livestock breeding for sustainability to mitigate global warming, with the emphasis on developing countries
Global warming is predicted to have a profound effect on livestock production in developing countries. An improved understanding of the adaptation of livestock to such changing production environments is thus important, but the measurement of adaptation is complex and difficult…
Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050. Part 1: Worth and impact of the sector
Livestock production in South Africa contributes substantially to food security. It is also a topic of public debate because of lack of knowledge and wrong information. This article aims to provide information on the worth and impact of the livestock…
Sustainability of the South African Livestock Sector towards 2050. Part 2: Challenges, changes and required implementations
Challenges facing the livestock sector towards 2050 and the changes and management considerations required to maintain sustainability are discussed. Major challenges are associated with climate change and the environmental impact of the sector. Southern Africa is predicted to become drier…
Direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of South African dairy and beef cattle
The objective of this study was to estimate direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of South African dairy and beef cattle in total and per province using the Tier 2 methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but…
Direct greenhouse gas emissions of the South African small stock sectors
There are increasing concerns about the impact of agriculture and livestock production on the environment. As a result, it is important to have accurate estimations of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if reduction measures are to be established. In this study…
Direct methane and nitrous oxide emissions of monogastric livestock in South Africa
There are increasing concerns about the impact of agriculture and livestock production on the environment. In this the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from South African pigs, ostriches, horses, donkeys, mules and poultry were calculated, using 2010 production data on a…
Direct greenhouse gas emissions of the game industry in South Africa
Previous greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories did not include game as an emissions source. Recently game farming has become a recognized commercial enterprise in the agricultural sector in South Africa, contributing approximately R10 billion to the sectorial gross domestic product. The…
The impact of animal source food products on human nutrition and health
Throughout the ages the quest for food and drink has influenced humanity’s economic, social and political development, and played a role in the organization of society and history. Nutrition (or what we choose to consume) influences the health of human…
The effect of production system and management practices on the quality of meat products from ruminant livestock
Demands for products of animal origin are increasing worldwide owing to the significant growth in the human population and changes in the health, wealth and life expectancy of people. The agricultural sector has the scientific knowledge, expertise and technology to…
The effect of production system and management practices on the environmental impact, quality and safety of milk and dairy products
There is an increasing trend to label milk and dairy products according to production system, absence of certain feed additives and non-use of specific technologies. These claims include the practice of organic farming, the absence of ionophore antibiotics and recombinant…
Use of theoretical efficiencies of protein and fat synthesis to calculate energy requirements for growth in ruminants
The main objection against conventional net energy systems is that owing to variation in gain composition and the different energy contents of protein and fat, the efficiency of energy gain cannot be regarded as a growth constant. The present approach…
Nutrient intake, digestibility and nitrogen retention in indigenous goats fed on Acacia nilotica fruits treated for condensed tannins
Polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000), Browse PlusTM (BP), wood ash (WA) and boiling water were evaluated as tannin deactivation methods on tannins in Acacia nilotica fruits. Twenty four Matebele goats of mean body mass, 38.7 ± 3.12 kg, were used in…
Genetic diversity of four protected indigenous chicken breeds in China using microsatellite markers
The genetic diversity of four protected indigenous chicken breeds was evaluated with 25 microsatellite markers. Polymorphism information content (PIC), heterozygosity with the estimator of genetic differentiation FST and Nei’s genetic distance were evaluated. The results showed that these four protected…
Effect of a natural versus a synthetic antioxidant, and sex and age on the redox profile in the blood of growing turkeys
An investigation was conducted with turkeys during the spring-summer seasons of 2008 to 2011. Each season the turkeys were allocated to three treatments. The control received a standard compound feed. In the second treatment, a natural feed additive, consisting of…
