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 (2025): 0.8 (Q4 of subject category)
Scimago (SJR) (2025): 0.231 (Q3)
Scopus CiteScore (2025): 1.4
The effect of dietary garlic powder and a low temperature on the physical quality of stored eggs
Eggs are a rich source of protein having, a primary advantage in satisfying human nutritional needs. However, the loss in egg quality within a short time during storage calls for more research to improve their condition following storage. This study…
Urinary catecholamine concentrations in three beef breeds at slaughter
Animal welfare has become an important determinant of meat quality with poor animal temperament leading to huge economic losses to the meat industry due to carcass bruising and condemnation. Handling and transport of live animals is a stressful experience for…
The use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the chemical composition of feed samples used in ostrich total mixed rations
The wet chemical analysis of feed samples is time consuming and expensive. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was developed as a rapid technique to predict the chemical composition of feeds. The prediction of accuracy of NIRS relies heavily on obtaining a…
A description of body growth and composition of South African Black ostriches (Struthio camelus var. domesticus) under free-choice feeding conditions
This study describes changes occurring in the live weight and body composition of male and female South African Black ostriches over a growing period of 285 days. Forty-five birds were given four diets with different protein (ca. 180 and ca…
The effect of vitamin E supplementation on the libido and reproductive capacity of Large White boars
In this study the effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin E on libido, servicing capacity (SC), sperm quality and serum α-tocopherol of Large White boars was evaluated. Twenty four boars were divided into three groups of eight boars each. Groups…
Live animal and carcass characteristics of South African indigenous goats
Eighty-nine intact male, castrates and female South African indigenous goats in three age groups (0, 2 - 6 and 8 permanent incisors) and two pre-slaughter conditioning groups; namely, the non-conditioned which were slaughtered within three months of purchase and the…
Effects of ractopamine and gender on protein turnover in skeletal muscle of implanted steers and heifers
Effects of the β-agonist, ractopamine-HCl (ractopamine), on skeletal muscle protein turnover were evaluated in 16 steers (512 kg) and 16 heifers (473 kg). Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design and included gender (steer vs. heifer) and…
Effect of supplemental fat in low energy diets on some blood parameters and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks
This experiment evaluated the effects of two fat sources on performance, some blood parameters and carcass characteristics of broiler chicks. One hundred and eighty day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments (three replicates of 12 birds per…
Do broiler chicks possess enough growth potential to compensate long-term feed and water depravation during the neonatal period?
Broiler performance to the end of the rearing period may be negatively influenced by delayed access to feed and water immediately after hatch. This study was conducted with 320 Ross 308 broiler chicks, to evaluate the influence of delayed access…
Expression profiling analyses of porcine MuRF1 gene and its association with muscle production traits
Muscle specific RING finger protein-1 (MuRF1) is a member of the muscle specific RING finger protein family, and it is specifically expressed in cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues and is involved in myocyte differentiation, development and morphogenesis. In this study…
Parameter estimates for reproductive output and product quality traits of ostrich females within breeding seasons
Data involving monthly records of egg production (EP), chick production (CP), hatchability (H), mean egg weight (MEW) and mean day-old chick weight (MCW) were analysed using REML procedures. All traits were treated as hen traits. Egg production of young birds…
Effect of bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) extract on broiler chickens under cold stress
The objective of the study was to establish whether powdered bamboo extract (BFRE) as a feed additive for chickens was effective in maintaining body weight gain and serum enzymatic activity when birds are exposed to cold stress. Broiler Huainan partridge…
Polymorphism of the prolactin gene and its association with egg production traits in native Chinese ducks
As a candidate gene related to egg production, prolactin plays a crucial role in the reproduction of birds. In this study, polymorphism of the prolactin gene was screened in six Chinese native duck breeds (Shanma, Shaoxing, Youma, Jinyun, Jingjiang and…
Evaluation of faba bean (Vicia faba cv. Fiord) as a protein source for broilers
An experiment was conducted, using 960 sexed broiler chicks between 7 and 21 d of age, to measure their response to increasing contents of faba bean in the feed. The experimental design consisted of two sexes, six levels of faba…
Nutritional evaluation of dehulled faba bean (Vicia faba cv. Fiord) in feeds for weaner pigs
The objective of this experiment was to determine whether faba bean could successfully be used in feeds for weaner pigs in the period 10 to 25 kg liveweight. An experiment was conducted using 48 weaner pigs (average weight 10 ±…
Evaluation of dehulled faba bean (Vicia faba cv. Fiord) as a protein source for laying hens
Dehulled faba beans were evaluated as an alternative to soybeans as a protein source for laying hens using 240 individually caged birds, 50 weeks of age. Two basal feeds were formulated to the same nutrient specifications but with one containing…
Nutrient intake, acid base status and weight gain in water buffalo calves fed different dietary levels of sodium bicarbonate
The impact of different dietary levels of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) on nutrient intake, acid-base status, nitrogen balance and weight gain was examined in growing male buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves exposed to hot summer conditions. In a complete randomized block design…
Comparison and evaluation of mathematical lactation curve functions of Iranian primiparous Holsteins
Describing lactation in mammals using a lactation curve aims to provide a concise summary of the pattern of milk yield and valuable information about the biological and economic efficiency of the animal or herd under consideration. A total of 106…
Modelling growth of five different colour types of mink
The objective of this study was to estimate and compare the growth curve parameters for live weight of standard black, brown, mahogany, Hedlund white and sapphire minks. The data were collected from five colour types in the period from seven…
Use of anise seed and/or α-tocopheryl acetate in laying Japanese quail diets
An experiment was conducted to investigate the possible use of anise (Pimpinella anisum) and/or α-tocopheryl acetate as dietary supplements on the performance and some egg quality characteristics of laying Japanese quail. One hundred and eight Coturnix japonica quail (72 females…
