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
Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates of gestation length and birth weight in Bonsmara cattle
The purpose of this study was to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for gestation length and birth weight in Bonsmara cattle in South Africa. A total of 26962 gestation length and birth weight records for the period 1989 to 2000…
Sensitivity of above- and belowground productivity to fire in semi-arid grassland
Although fire is regarded as a natural factor in the environment of southern Africa, accidental fires in arid and semi-arid areas influence the fodder flow planning in both agricultural and conservation areas. The short-term impact (two years) of an unplanned…
Effect of water stress on root growth of Opuntia ficus-indica and O. robusta
Due to the regular occurrence of drought in southern Africa, there is a need for more research on drought tolerant plants such as Opuntia species. This study aimed at quantifying the effects of water stress on the growth of tap…
The effect of dietary energy and protein (amino acid) concentration on the performance of slaughter ostriches
A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary energy and protein concentrations in a 3 x 5 factorial experimental design on the performance of growing and finishing ostriches. Energy concentrations amounted to 8.5, 10.5 and 12.5 MJ ME/kg…
The effect of dietary energy and protein (amino acid) concentrations on the end products of slaughter ostriches
This study was performed to determine the effect of dietary energy concentrations (7.5, 9.5 and 11.5 MJ ME/kg feed) and dietary protein concentrations (80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 g protein/kg feed) during the finisher stage on the meat, skin…
Effect of genotype and supplementary feeding on growth performance of sheep in the highlands of Ethiopia
An experiment was conducted to compare body weight from birth to yearling age and pre-weaning and post-weaning growth rate of purebred Menz (MM), Corriedale x Menz (CM) and Awassi x Menz sheep (AM) under conditions where natural pastures were either…
Genotype x ecological region interaction in the Nguni cattle breed
Weaning weight (WW) records were used to investigate the presence of a genotype x ecological region interaction as well as the magnitude and significance of such an interaction. Records from herds were allocated to one of three veld types that…
The effects of restricted suckling and early weaning on cow reproduction and weaner production performance in Gudali cattle
The effects of weaning calves at 180 days (early weaning – EW) or at 240 (control – CW) days following restricted suckling (RS) or unrestricted suckling (US) on the post-partum reproductive performance of cows and calf growth rates were investigated…
Germination analysis of a seed bank along a degradation gradient in a semi-arid grassland
The germination potential of seed banks along a degradation gradient in a semi-arid grassland in South Africa was quantified in a greenhouse experiment. Soil samples were collected to a depth of 50 mm in late June 2000 from four sample…
Phenotypic characterization of indigenous chickens in Lesotho in the pre-laying phase
Production traits of chickens of the Lesotho line, namely: body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality, were compared with four South African indigenous lines (Ovambo, Potchefstroom Koekoek, Lebowa-Venda and Naked Neck) and two exotic lines (Rhode…
The effects of different dietary energy and protein concentrations on the digestive anatomy of ostriches
Diets with three energy concentrations and five protein concentrations, structured in a 3 x 5 factorial experimental design, were formulated for the pre-starter (2 – 10 kg), starter (10 – 30 kg), grower (30 – 60 kg) and finisher phases…
Genetic markers and their application in livestock breeding in South Africa: a review
The development of molecular biological techniques has created new possibilities for the selection and genetic improvement of livestock. The discovery of the PCR had a major impact on the research of eukaryotic genomes and contributed to the development and application…
Evaluation of the growth parameters of six commercial crossbred pig genotypes 1. Under commercial housing conditions in indivi
Simulation modelling is an active part of animal nutrition which relies on mathematical functions to predict the performance of an animal. The Gompertz equation is one such function that is simple, but fits animal growth data well, and when used…
Evaluation of the growth parameters of six commercial crossbred pig genotypes 2. Under ideal temperature conditions in chambers
To test whether animals grown under ideal temperature conditions would have different growth parameters to animals grown in more conventional housing, sixty Large White x Landrace male pigs from three genotypes were housed in six temperature-controlled chambers. The results were…
Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) intake determined by alkanes administered in a xantham gum suspension
The alkane method of measuring herbage intake in ruminants was compared with actual intake determined by transponder-controlled feed gates (Calan gates). Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) intakes of yearling bulls (Holstein-Friesland and Hereford) were measured for a period of seven days. No…
The persistence to slaughter age of scars resulting from damage inflicted to ostrich skin during the grow-out phase
Damage to ostrich skins in the form of cuts and scratches obtained during growth result in lower quality skins that fetch lower prices. This represents a major financial loss to the ostrich industry. The stage at which such damage occurs…
The effects of storage temperature and position on embryonic mortality of ostrich (Struthio camelus) eggs
The present study was carried out with the aim of determining the effects of storage temperature and storage position on embryonic mortalities of ostrich eggs. A total of 229 ostrich eggs was collected from two commercial ostrich farms. The effects…
Age trends in economically important traits of Merino ewes subjected to 10 years of divergent selection for multiple rearing abi
Data were recorded for annual reproduction, wool traits and pre-joining live weight of between 992 (for staple strength) to approximately 1200 production records of Merino ewes over the period from 1997 to 2002. The resource population has been divergently selected…
Sensory and objective mutton quality characteristics of SA Merino sheep selected for and against reproductive fitness
The effect of divergent selection for ewe multiple-rearing ability over a 15-year period on mutton quality was examined on the M. longissimus dorsi and M. semimembranosus of entire rams (R) and ewes (E) derived from two Merino lines. The selection…
