My research over this summer has focused on characterizing the microbiota in turkey litter in order to study how its composition changes with the age of the birds (from initial placement of birds to six week). Total bacteria and Enterococcus levels were determined before turkeys were placed on the fresh shavings to six week old litter, with sampling at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and after the birds had been removed. It has been hypothesized that agriculture is a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, and Enterococcus isolates from the litter will be analyzed for resistance to numerous antibiotics to determine how resistance patterns change or persist in antibiotic-free farming scenarios