Dr. Michael J. Toscano Group Leader of ZTHZ Phone +41 31 631 57 51 E-Mail michael.toscano@unibe.ch Office 26 Postal Address Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ) Animal Welfare Division Veterinary Public Health Institute University of Bern Burgerweg 22 3052 Zollikofen
Research Current research • Quantifying forces involved in keel damage using tri-axial accelerometers • Use of omega-3 fatty acids to improve bone health in laying hens • Optimizing laying hen feeder design, positioning and bird density to maximize welfare. More Info.
CV I obtained my Ph.D. from Purdue University in the United States in 2006 where I sought to develop a multidiscipline means to assess hunger in swine. From there I continued to the University of Bristol in the UK where I investigated disease states within swine and poultry and their relationship to physiological and behavioral phenotypes. Most recently, my research focuses on bone fractures in laying hens, a topic I began at the University of Bristol and continue at my current post as Group Leader (Senior Scientist) of the Research Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ). In general, my research is of an applied nature and seeks to bring the benefits of analysis and understanding gained in the laboratory to on-farm settings in order for improvements in animal welfare to be made in an objective manner.
