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
Potential benefit of trace element supplementation of sheep on a low level of nutrition
A study was conducted to test whether supplementation of trace elements would have any beneficial effect on year-old ewes receiving a submaintenance level of nutrition. The ewes were fed a poor quality hay. The control group received no supplementation (Treatment…
The potential of the weed, Commelina diffusa L., as a fodder crop for ruminants (Short communication)
The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of Commelina diffusa L. as a ruminant feed. Commelina diffusa belongs to the Commelinaceae family, a family of plants that is generally poorly investigated with respect to ruminant nutrition. The…
The effect of herd of origin by year on post-weaning traits of young beef bulls at centralized testing centres in South Africa
The effects of herd of origin by year on the average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (DFI), shoulder height (SDH) and scrotal circumference (SCR) of beef bulls at centralized test centres in South Africa were investigated using data…
The effects of dietary energy and protein concentrations on ostrich skin quality (Short communication)
The effects were investigated of energy and protein concentrations (with associated amino acid concentrations) in ostrich diets on leather quality of the skins of 50 ostriches. Energy concentrations were 9.0, 10.5 and 12.0 MJ ME/kg diet and protein concentrations were…
Abrupt or gradual increases in photoperiod for broiler breeders
Cobb 500 broiler breeder females (n = 832), which had been raised to achieve a typical 20-week body weight of 2.1 kg, were subjected to an abrupt or gradual increase in photoperiod to determine the effects on reproductive performance. One…
Rate of inbreeding and effective population size in four major South African dairy cattle breeds
Pedigree information on the registered South African Ayrshire (n = 47 116), Guernsey (n = 18 766), Holstein (n = 892 458) and Jersey (n = 314 403) breeds was analyzed to determine the rate of inbreeding and effective population…
Test-day models for South African dairy cattle for participation in international evaluations
Variance components and breeding values of production traits and somatic cell score of South African Guernsey, Ayrshire, Holstein and Jersey breeds have been estimated using a multi-lactation repeatability test-day model, including tests of the first three lactations as repeated measures…
Comparison of breeding values and genetic trends for production traits estimated by a Lactation Model and a Fixed Regression Tes
A comparison of breeding values and genetic trends of production traits from two models is made. One set of breeding values and trends was estimated by the September/October 2003 South African National Genetic Evaluation, using a Lactation Model (LM). The…
Heritability of live weight and condition score in a Holstein herd and correlations with milk traits – preliminary estimates
Genetic and environmental parameters for live weight and condition score have been determined for Holstein cows. Genetic correlations with milk traits were also derived. Monthly records were modelled by cubic splines, while the direct, additive effects of animal and the…
Influence of reproduction traits and pre-weaning growth rate on herd efficiency of different beef breed types in an arid sub-tro
The efficiency of Simmentaler cross (SX), Bonsmara cross (BX), Afrikaner (AF) and Nguni (NG) cowherds to produce weaner calves under natural sweetveld conditions was investigated. The respective cowherds were selected to differ with regard to frame size (SX > BX…
The effect of long-term feeding of conjugated linoleic acid on fertility in Japanese quail
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the long-term feeding of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on laying hen performance, egg fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). One hundred and sixty…
The effect of concentrate supplementation on the productivity of grazing Jersey cows on a pasture based system
The effect of concentrate feeding on milk production, milk composition, live weight, condition score and intercalving period of 60 Jersey cows grazing high quality pastures over two lactations was determined. Cows were fed at a no (NC), low (LC), medium…
In vitro degradability and gas production parameters of Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) mixed with varying types and level
Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) regrowth was harvested at early (ELP) or late (LLP) flowering stages, mixed with varying types and levels of roughage and fermented for 72 h in vitro, using the gas production (GP) technique. The roughage : lespedeza…
QTL analysis of production traits on SSC3 in a Large White x Meishan pig resource family (Short communication)
In order to locate the genetic regions that are responsible for economically important traits, a resource population was established by crossing Large White boars and Meishan sows. Phenotypic data of a total of 287 F2 offspring were collected from 1998…
Utilisation of synthetic amino acids by broiler breeder hens
This study was conducted to examine the response of broiler breeder hens to feeds supplemented with synthetic lysine and methionine when fed once or twice daily during peak production. Replacing intact protein with increasing amounts of free lysine and methionine,…
Effect of an herbal essential oil mixture on growth and internal organ weight of broilers from young and old breeder flocks
The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a herbal essential oil mixture on the performance of broilers produced by a young (30 wk) or an old breeder (80 wk) flock. One thousand and eight unsexed…
Genetic association between sexual maturity and weekly live-weights in laying-type Japanese quail
This study focused on the estimation of genetic relationships between weekly live weights and sexual maturity of male and female Japanese quail. The live body weight data of a laying-type quail line over time were collected from hatching to six…
Performance and health of dairy calves fed limited amounts of acidified milk replacer
To compare growth performance of Brown Swiss calves fed acidified milk replacer (AMR) at 8% of birth weight, 20 newborn calves were reared under a new calf-feeding programme. Body weights, total weight gains and gains in body measurements, feed intake…
A preliminary study on the application of image analysis for the measurement of ostrich eggshell traits (Short communication)
Embryonic mortality in developing ostrich embryos has been linked to water loss in eggs during artificial incubation. Traits possibly related to water loss were assessed on shell samples obtained from 512 hatched ostrich eggs. Moderate to high repeatability estimates (0.43…
Genetic variation in nodule size at different sites on the skins of slaughter ostriches (Short communication)
Nodule size is an important indicator of leather quality in the ostrich leather trade. The present study investigated genetic variation in nodule size at five sites on the skin, namely the neck, back, upper leg, flank and butt. Nodule size…
