TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Bacteria: The protease producing bacteria produces proteolytic enzymes that are neutral and/or alkaline proteases.The Propionibacterium jensenii is strain P63 with an activity of at least 66700000000 colony forming unit/gram (CFU/g). Lactobacillus curvatus has an activity of at least 1660000000000 CFU/g and the Bacillus bacteria has an activity of at least 1170000000000 CFU/g. The Bacillus bacteria are present in a ratio of 10% B. subtilis, 20% B. licheniformis and 70% B. amyloliquefaciens or at 5-15% B. subtilis, 15-25% B. licheniformis and 65-75% B. amyloliquefaciensPreferred Composition: The carrier for the composition is water soluble and preferably comprises whey, maltodextrin or whey and maltodextrin present in equal amounts. The composition also contains a moisture binding agent which is balith and spores and vegetative cells. Preferably whey is present at 50% by weight, maltodextrin at 49% by weight and balith 1% by weight, but the maltodextrin may be present at 40-60% by weight. The composition is dissolved in water before application onto poultry litter. EXAMPLE - Bacillus strains with count of 11700000000 colony forming unit/gram (CFU/g) were combined with Propionibacterium jensenii strain P63 with count 66700000000 CFU/g and Lactobacillus curvatus with count 1660000000 CFU/g to produce a composition that also contained a water soluble carrier comprised of 50% by weight whey, maltodextrin at 49% by weight and balith 1% by weight. The composition was applied to the surface of clean litter in 4 houses at 4 different contract farms of a broiler integrator in Virginia at the recommended rate of 1 pound per 16000 birds. The composition was dissolved in 15 gallons of water and sprayed over the entire surface of each treated house using a boom sprayer. At each site an identical house was not treated and used as the control. After 24-48 hours of treating the litter, birds were placed in the houses and after 40-45 days the birds removed for slaughter and samples of the litter taken from each house. The composition was found to improve the microbiological quality of the litter. The mean total gram negative count for the 4 treated houses was 62.9% lower than the control houses and the mean total coliform count of the litter for the 4 treated houses was 88% lower than the control houses. The mean livability ( percentage of birds that lived from time of placement in the house to time of harvest) for birds residing in treated houses was 56 points higher than for birds living in untreated houses.