Increasing the rate of decompisition of a cow skull?

Question:

Increasing the rate of decompisition of a cow skull?

I had a steer die at my house and would like to remove all the hair and skin faster. Any thoughts??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Just the skull?
1) Dig a hole in the ground larger than the skull by a foot or more. Partially line the sides with wood to keep the hole from collapsing. Cover the hole with a large area of wood (such as a 4x8 sheet of plywood). Cover all with dirt and weight with rocks to thwart the scavangers. The organisms in the soil will strip it pretty quickly and leave the bones clean.
2) Leaving it above ground for the scavangers will work also but larger ones my drag it away or crush the bone in their teeth.
3) String it securely on a heavy rope between two trees 15-20 feet or more in the air. The vultures and raptors will do a good preliminary job.
4) Boil it and strip the flesh yourself.
But use caution if you don't know what killed the animal. Rabies can still be contracted from dead animals and handling brain and central nervous system matter can be especially dangerous. USE DISPOSABLE LATEX GLOVES ALWAYS!
The above methods are ones I have used.
Here is a good publication in PDF format:
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresource...