Is it safe for chickens to eat corn smut (aka corn truffles)?

[Sally Winter-Swink]

Our garden has had a hard summer. Our sweetcorn is badly infested with corn smut. Is it safe to feed these ears to our hens? They love 'corn on the cob' but is the smut okay? Smut is a kind of fungus.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I do not feel it is worth the risk. I would throw it away.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm aware of it as a culinary delicacy in one culture, but lack sufficient knowledge of it to make specific recommendation. Sorry

 

[Perris]

Our garden has had a hard summer. Our sweetcorn is badly infested with corn smut. Is it safe to feed these ears to our hens? They love 'corn on the cob' but is the smut okay? Smut is a kind of fungus.

If it is still immature, not only is it edible, it is actually more nutritious than the corn, especially rich in lysine, according to this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_smut