Currently one of our bucks is suffering from something similar to TMJ which makes it painful for him to eat hay and grain. To help him keep his weight up and get the necessary nutrients we have been feeding him bran mashes. These soft, warm mashes offer a large amount of protein and are also quite tasty.  Think goat oatmeal. I like giving mashes to sick animals and does right after they kid to give them a boost.

Here is the recipe.

You will need:

1-3 pounds of grass or alfalfa hay pellets

1/4-1 pound of rice bran (make sure it is stabilized, otherwise it goes bad quickly)

1/4-2 pounds of grain

Sugar ( I like the brand “Sugar in the Raw”)

6-12 cups of hot water

A bucket that can handle boiling water

1. Put the hay pellets in your bucket.
2. Boil 4-8 cups of water, depending on how much you’re making. (I usually feed about 2.5 lbs of alfalfa pellets to my sick buck and that will suck up about 9 cups of water.)
3. Add half of the water to the pellets in your bucket.
4. Let sit for 5-10 minutes so that the pellets can absorb the water. During this time the remaining water can just sit on the stove, it doesn’t need to continue to boil.
5. Add the other half of the water.
6. Add the bran, grain, and sugar.
7. Mix well, with a long handled spoon as the mash will be pretty hot.
8. If it feels too hot you can add some cold water. Don’t add too  much, though. Goats don’t like it too soupy.

Optional: You can also add carrots, apple bits, or other tasty treats for your goat to enjoy.