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
Chia flour as a substitute for pork fat in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fishburgers
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of chia flour (Salvia hispanica L.) as a substitute for pork fat in formulations of fishburgers made with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Five formulations, one control (without…
Animal welfare practices in livestock farms from the perspective of veterinarians: Northeast Anatolia region in Turkiye
The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of veterinarians providing clinical services in the northeast Anatolia region regarding the compliance of enterprises in the region with animal welfare standards. A survey was sent to veterinarians working in…
Degradable protein requirements of beef cattle consuming winter forage hay
A trial was conducted to determine the total rumen degradable protein intake (RDPI) required to maximise the digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) of beef cows consuming low quality grass hay from the northern variation of Cymbopogon–Themeda pasture type. Thirty-five pregnant…
Nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in growing pigs fed a 10% Macadamia integrifolia nut oil cake diet supplemented with exogenous enzymes
The study tested a 10% dietary inclusion of Macadamia nut oil cake (MOC) fortified with exogenous enzymes on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in growing pigs. The diets included a commercial maize–soybean pig grower control and a 10% MOC diluted…
The effect of Ulva lactuca on in vitro ruminal gas production kinetics
The aim of this study was to determine whether the inclusion of a marine algae found in South African waters, Ulva lactuca, can reduce total gas and methane production in vitro when it replaces lucerne hay in a mixed sheep…
Assessing parallel testing to improve detection of bovine tuberculosis at a slaughterhouse in Lahore, Pakistan
The current study was designed to evaluate the reliability of the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) as a screening test compared to intensive post-mortem inspection using agreement analyses. This study also aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of bovine…
Vaccination strategies to curb environmental spread of Porcine Circovirus 2
Integrated farming is an established agricultural practice aimed at increasing productivity per unit area by utilizing animal manure. However, there has been a growing concern regarding swine manure's potential as a disseminator of pathogens in the environment. Among these pathogens…
Bacillus-based probiotics on broiler chicken performance under coccidiosis and Clostridium perfringens challenge
The study analyzed the impacts of two probiotics (Ecobiol® and GutCare®) on growth performance, carcass and cut yields, intestinal morphometry and lesion score, biochemical parameters, and short-chain fatty acid concentration in chickens using a challenge model combining coccidiosis vaccine and…
Broiler performance on maize (Zea mays)–cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) diets fortified with black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal
Effects of incorporating full-fat Black Soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (BSFLM) in 4-d sprouted cowpea-based grower and finisher broiler diets were evaluated in broilers. Chicks were raised in an open deep litter facility; 360 Ross 308 chicks started (0–21…
Effect of pipping rate and hatching nature on the development of ostrich chicks
High embryonic mortality is concerning because of the effect on commercial ostrich farming. The number of viable chicks can be improved by appropriate interventions in the hatching chicks. Data from 2 683 fertile eggs were collected from the commercial, pair-bred…
Polymorphism of the callipyge gene in the Esme sheep breed
Mutation of the candidate gene, callipyge (CLPG), causes muscular hypertrophy, primarily in the pelvic and hind limbs, and therefore has a major impact on sheep development and quality. Finding the CLPG gene polymorphism in the Esme sheep breed was the…
Effects of sprouted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) diets fortified with exogenous enzymes on egg production in Red and White Amberlink layers
The aim was to evaluate the effects on egg production of feeding raw versus sprouted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)–soybean (Glycine max) oil cake diets fortified with exogenous enzymes to red and white Amberlink layers (16 w in production). Birds were stocked…
Effects of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf extract on the immunity and gut microflora of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice
This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf water extract on the immunity and gut microflora of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice. Forty female ICR mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8) as follows: the…
Production performance of broiler chickens fed mash and pelleted pearl millet-based diets
This study investigated the production performance of broiler chickens (Cobb-500) fed on mash and pelleted pearl millet-based diets. A completely randomised experimental design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. Two feed processing methods (grinding and…
The effect of dietary non-protein nitrogen content on the performance of finishing lambs
The effect of increasing non-protein nitrogen content on nutrient digestibility, performance, and carcass characteristics of South African Mutton Merino wether lambs on low-fibre finishing diets containing similar degradable protein was investigated. The production and digestibility studies consisted of 60 and…
Effects of udder characteristics on milk yield and milk quality in Eşme sheep
The current study was conducted on 38 sheep in a private enterprise engaged in the breeding of Eşme sheep in Uşak province, and measurements were taken on the 30th and 60th days of lactation. Sheep were classified according to udder…
Influence of dietary protein content on serum biochemical profiles of growing Windsnyer pigs
The response in the concentration of nutritionally-related blood metabolites to decremental dietary protein contents was evaluated in growing Windsnyer pigs. A total of thirty, healthy, Windsnyer indigenous pigs weighing 23 ± 0.62 kg were randomly allocated into individual pens in…
Non-genetic sources of variation influencing yield and composition of milk production parameters in South African Saanen goats
This study tested the importance of non-genetic effects on average lactation performance in yields of milk, fat, protein, and lactose; urea concentration; persistency; somatic cell count; net returns; as well as estimated phenotypic relationships between dam kidding age and these…
Broiler response to variable rates of inclusion of calcium and non-phytate phosphorus in feed
A trial was conducted to investigate the response of broilers to changing levels of calcium and non-phytate phosphorus. A total of 1344 chicks were allocated to 96 cages in a controlled-environment house. Limestone and phosphoric acid were added to a…
Research Note: Do broiler breeder hens use hypothermia to cope with cold environments and feed restriction?
The deep body temperature (Tb) of broiler breeder hens was measured in a pilot trial conducted as part of an experiment in which the response of the birds to dietary protein was evaluated at different cyclical air temperatures (Ta). Temperature…
