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
Genetic parameter estimates of early growth traits in the Tygerhoek Merino flock
Genetic parameters were estimated for birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (WWT) and pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG) using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) procedures. Four different animal models were fitted, differentiated by including or excluding maternal effects. The direct heritability estimates…
Genetic parameters of testicular measurements in Merino rams and the influence of scrotal circumference on total flock fertility
Genetic parameter estimates for scrotal circumference (SC), testis diameter (TD) and two-tooth liveweight (LW) were obtained for 1380 two-tooth Merino rams born from 1986 to 1998 on the Tygerhoek Experimental Farm. The effect of SC of service sires (n =…
The chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility of untreated and ammoniated crop residues
The chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of untreated and ammoniated crop residues, sampled at various sites in the North West Province of South Africa, were investigated. The mean IVDMD of maize residues obtained by means of…
Correlations of subjectively assessed fleece and conformation traits with production and reproduction in Afrino sheep
Data used for this study were collected on the Carnarvon Afrino flock from 1986 to 1998, and include data records on several subjectively assessed traits, body weight and fleece traits of 3291 animals, the progeny of 127 sires and 772…
Protein and lipid deposition rates in growing pigs following a period of excess fattening
The objective of this experiment was to test the proposition that fatter pigs, when fed a high crude protein (CP) diet, would attempt to correct the effects of excess fattening on body composition by returning to a state that is…
Nitrogen retention response to the abomasal infusion of amino acids in South African Mutton Merino lambs
The nitrogen (N) retention response to the abomasal infusion of amino acids in South African Mutton Merino ram lambs fed a standard finishing diet was investigated. The basal diet consisted of (g/kg air dry weight): 300 lucerne, 80 wheat straw,…
Effect of population structure and underlying magnitude of dominance genetic effects on the estimation of additive and dominance
Five populations with varying percentages of animals in full-sib families were simulated. For each population, three combinations of additive and dominance genetic variances of different relative magnitudes were considered, thereby creating fifteen sub-populations. Constant residual variance was used in all…
Gas exchange of the ostrich embryo during peak metabolism in relation to incubator design
Oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) excretion of ostrich embryos were studied on 45 ostrich eggs in various stages of development. A closed respirometry system was used for eggs subjected to < 10 days of incubation, while an open flow…
The effect of Phantom Parent Groups on Genetic Trend Estimation
In an animal model evaluation of breeding values it is assumed that the base animals are all at the same genetic level. However, in the South African Holstein population, animals of different genetic levels were imported from foreign countries, thus…
Diet selection priorities in growing pigs offered a choice of feeds
Two experiments were conducted to test whether young pigs are capable of discriminating against a feed based on its nutrient balance (or protein value) and/or the presence or absence of anti-nutritional factors and whether there is an order of preference…
Effect of fortifying amaranth diets with amino acids, casein and ethylene diamine tetraacetate on broiler performance, amino aci
Two broiler feeding trials (1-31 days of age) were carried out to determine the effect of fortifying grain amaranth diets with lysine, methionine, casein and ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA) on performance, amino acid availability, plasma amino acids, nitrogen and mineral…
Genetic and environmental parameters for ewe productivity in Merinos
Data of 3272 lambing records collected on 818 ewes born from 689 dams and sired by 371 rams were used in the evaluation of ewe lifetime productivity (total number born, number weaned and total weight weaned). These records were collected…
Application of a sex identification technique in juvenile ostriches and its potential application in Botswana
Sexing ostrich chicks and juveniles before the dimorphous appearance of the plumage that starts at 14 months of age is proving difficult and cumbersome for Botswana farmers. This problem delays early selection of birds for breeding and trading. It also…
The influence of outliers on a model for the estimation of crossbreeding parameters for weaning weight in a beef cattle herd
Data on 17348 weaning weight records from a beef cattle crossbreeding operation were used to determine the effect of outliers on regression coefficients. Different criteria were used for detecting potential influential points. Eliminating a small number (932 or 5.4 %)…
The effect of heterogeneity for yearling weights measured in different test phases of the South African National Beef Cattle Imp
In animal breeding, selection decisions are often made amongst animals from separate environmental groups. Production data in these groups may differ both in mean and variance. In South Africa, yearling weights of beef cattle are recorded in two different phases…
Effects of various dietary n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratios on the performance and body composition of broilers
Different combinations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were fed to broilers to establish their effect on the fatty acid composition of the broiler carcass and the abdominal fat pad. Six combinations of Canola acid oil (CAO, high levels of…
Impacts of intervention objectives in goat production within subsistence farming systems in South Africa
The aims of this research were to study goat production in the rural areas of South Africa and to explore the impact of intervention objectives, namely an increase in kidding percentage and a decrease in kid losses (mortalities, theft and…
Declawing ostrich (Struthio camelus domesticus) chicks to minimize skin damage during rearing
Leather is one of the main products derived from ostrich farming. Current rearing practices lead to a high incidence of skin damage, which decreases the value of ostrich skins. In the emu and poultry industry, declawing is commonly practiced to…
The influence of Charolais and Angus breeding levels on pre-weaning growth performance traits in crossbred calves
Data collected on birth and weaning weight traits of beef cattle calves over the period of 1968 to 1992 with varying levels of Angus and Charolais genes, ranging from 0% to 75%, were analysed to determine possible optimum breeding levels…
An evaluation of nitrogen fertilised Panicum maximum cv. Gatton at different stages of maturity during autumn: 1. Dry matter yie
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of level of nitrogen (N) fertilisation and stage of maturity on certain qualitative parameters and dry matter (DM) production of Panicum maximum cv. Gatton during autumn. Treatments included seven levels…
