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
Effect of concentrate supplementation during early lactation on plasma IGF-I concentrations and reproductive performance of dair
An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of body condition score (BCS) at calving and level of feed supplementation during early lactation on the Insulin-like growth Factor-I (IGF-I) and reproductive performance in 72 Holstein cows in a pasture-based system…
Effects of a dual-purpose bacterial inoculant on the fermentation characteristics of high-moisture maize silage and dairy cattle
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of inoculating Lactisil Maize, a dual-purpose inoculant, on the fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of high-moisture maize silage and the performance of lactating cows receiving the silage in their diets…
The effects of wilting, molasses and inoculants on the fermentation quality and nutritive value of lucerne silage
The objective was to determine the effects of wilting, molasses and inoculants on the biochemistry and in vitro and in situ digestion of lucerne silage. Lucerne containing 200 g/kg of dry matter (DM) was ensiled as fresh or wilted (370…
Ruminal protein and fibre degradability of lucerne hay as affected by regrowth period and dairy breed
The chemical composition of roughages constantly changes while it grows towards maturity. The effective dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) degradabilities of lucerne hay (LH), harvested after regrowth periods of 4, 5 or 6 weeks,…
Polymorphism of the GnRHR gene and its association with litter size in Boer goats (Short communication)
The polymorphism in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) gene was detected by PCR single-strand conformational (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods in 224 Boer goats. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), G891T and G757A, were found in the exon I of the…
Influence of a newly-synthesised 5-oxo-1,2,4-triazyne derivative on antioxidant indices of blood and performance of turkey hens
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of a newly-synthesised 5-oxo-1,2,4-triazyne derivative on the antioxidant status and performance of turkey hens. The experiment was conducted on six-week old Big-6 turkey hens, divided equally into four groups (60…
The protein dispersibility index in the quality control of heat-treated full-fat soybeans: an inter-laboratory study
There are a number of laboratory methods that could be used to estimate the adequacy of full-fat soybean (FFSB) heat treatment. The protein despersibility index (PDI) has been claimed to have the most constant response to the heating of FFSBs…
Effects of dietary turmeric supplementation on plasma lipoproteins, meat quality and fatty acid composition in broilers
An experiment with 200 day-old male broiler chickens was conducted to investigate the effect of the dietary supplementation of turmeric rhizome powder (TRP) on plasma lipoprotein concentrations, and the meat quality and fatty acid composition of the thigh muscle of…
Broiler performance and bone strength minimally affected by either a simulated dusk or night-interruption photoperiod
Two genotypes of male broilers were given 12 h of daily illumination; as a conventional photoperiod, with the final hour at reduced illuminance to simulate dusk, or with 1 h of the light given during the middle of the night…
The effect of oestradiol-17β on the motility, viability and the acrosomal status of bull sperm
The aim of this study was to test the effect on the motility, viability and the acrosomal status of bull sperm. Pooled semen from Holstein bulls were incubated in the presence of 2, 4, and 8 μg E2/mL for 24…
Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall products: The effects on gut morphology and performance of broiler chickens
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Bio-Mos® (Alltech Inc.), with or without the addition of a soluble mannan (MRF) (Alltech Inc.) on gastrointestinal health and performance of broiler chickens. A trial was conducted using seven…
Potential use of high-temperature and low-temperature steam treatment, sodium hydroxide and an enzyme mixture for improving the
The effectiveness of different treatment methods to improve the nutritional value of the sugarcane by-products (pith or bagasse) has been evaluated. The treatment methods included a high-pressure steam treatment (HPST; 19 bar, 3 min), treating the products with sodium hydroxide,…
Polymorphism of the VEGF gene and its association with growth traits in four goat breeds
The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a regulator of angiogenesis which is an important physiological adaptation to increased metabolic demand. Thus, mutations of this gene may exert a significant influence on animal growth. We screened the exons of the…
Influence of body weight, age and management system on reproduction of South African Angora goat does
The effect of doe age, body weight and different management systems, as practiced in various Angora goat studs, on reproductive performance of does was investigated. The data used were collected from 2000 to 2004 on 12 Angora goat studs kept…
Factors affecting pre-weaning kid mortality in South African Angora goats
The data used for this study were collected in 12 different Angora goat studs from 2000 to 2004. Data collected on 17534 kids born alive in the different studs were included in the analyses. Average pre-weaning mortality rate was 11.5%…
The effect of embryo donor age and parity on the superovulatory response in Boer goat does
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the age and parity of the embryo donor on the superovulatory response and embryo recovery rate in Boer goat does. The oestrous cycles of seven maiden does (young, 1 - 2…
Determination and comparison of digestion kinetics of two fibre sources in geese (Anseris)
The aim of this study was to determine and compare the digestion kinetics of two fibre sources (lucerne, maize stalk) in different segments of the digestive tract of geese. Sixty Jilin nongan white geese were divided into two groups and…
Ruminal acidosis: A review with detailed reference to the controlling agent Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 41125 (Review)
Ruminal acidosis is discussed with reference to causes and economic and health implications. Distinction is made between the acute form which with proper adaptation to high energy diets is seldom encountered and the more problematic chronic or sub-acute form, commonly…
The effect of a direct fed microbial (Megasphaera elsdenii) on the productivity and health of Holstein cows
Sixty high-producing multiparous Holstein cows were used in a randomized complete block design experiment to determine the effect of a direct-fed microbial (DFM), Megasphaera elsdenii NCIMB 41125 (Me), on dairy cattle productivity and health. The cows received one of two…
Association of polymorphism of the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene with milk production traits in Chinese Holstein
Protein degradation in bovine milk affects the quality of dairy products. Alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) can protect vulnerable elastic tissues from degradation by neutrophil elastase. The aim of this study was to assess the association of polymorphisms in bovine AAT gene…
