*Speechless*..
A few things about this... Well, aside from the visual I just had of you nailing a chicken carcass to a cross being just, well,
wrong.. No, really, why? I get it, in the interest of science and whatnot, but really, why?
A chicken carcass and 6 inch nails?
Scale and whatnot. The fact that chicken has very thin skin compared to human skin and 6 inch long nails.. I should not have to explain just why or how this was overkill and how the 6 inch nail would shred chicken meat..
Not surprised it was a mess. 6 inch nail and chicken carcass is not a good mix. You would have been better trying it with something like a pig trotter, for example. *Sigh* I can't believe I am even saying this!
Secondly, why do you believe the Romans or those who removed his body would have been so careful? Ever considered that they may have just ripped his limbs off the nail, as in had the head of the nail go right through the fresh? I don't think neatness or pretty wounds were an issue back then. Or the nails may have been left in the skin? I will come to this one shortly.. I get removing them from the wood is the issue, but there are ways to wedge nails out of timber and I doubt they would have cared if it shredded the skin of the victim. For all we know, they might have hacked his arms and legs and left the bits nailed on the stake or cross..
Thirdly, again, I cannot believe I am having this discussion when I am an atheist. Again.. *
Sigh*..
What.. the.. hell?
Your neighbours must love you!
Crucifixions in Roman times weren't using 4x6.
They also had various forms of crucifixion, from using just one post, to the cross shape that Christians most commonly identify with, to nail people to walls, sometimes on one beam upright or upside down.
If you want to look at the story of Christ, then you need to consider archaeological finds (well, "find", there has been only one, I believe) of other crucifixions by Romans.
For example (and this refers to leaving the nail in that I referred to above):
In 1968, archaeologists discovered at Giv'at ha-Mivtar in northeast Jerusalem the remains of one Jehohanan, who had been crucified in the 1st century. The remains included a heel bone with a nail driven through it from the side. The tip of the nail was bent, perhaps because of striking a knot in the upright beam, which prevented it being extracted from the foot. A first inaccurate account of the length of the nail led some to believe that it had been driven through both heels, suggesting that the man had been placed in a sort of sidesaddle position, but the true length of the nail, 11.5 cm (4.53 inches), suggests instead that in this case of crucifixion the heels were nailed to opposite sides of the upright.[40][41][42] The skeleton from Giv'at ha-Mivtar is currently the only recovered example of ancient crucifixion in the archaeological record.[43]
And you used a 6 inch nail with a chicken..
*Sigh*
Anywho, nail size in Ancient Roman practice (from same link as above):
Occasionally, scourging preceded crucifixion, which would cause the condemned to lose a large amount of blood, and approach a state of shock. The convict then usually had to carry the horizontal beam (patibulum in Latin) to the place of execution, but not necessarily the whole cross.[citation needed] Crucifixion was typically carried out by specialized teams, consisting of a commanding centurion and four soldiers.[citation needed]When it was done in an established place of execution, the vertical beam (stipes) could even be permanently embedded in the ground.[citation needed] It's claimed by certain religious texts that the victims of crucifixion were stripped naked before being put on the cross—all the New Testament gospels describe soldiers gambling for the robes of Jesus.[82]
The 'nails' were tapered iron spikes approximately 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) long, with a square shaft 3⁄8 inch (10 mm) across.[citation needed]
Corpses of the crucified were typically left on the crosses to decompose and be eaten by animals.[83]
Well, different times and I don't think sanity really factored into it. While we may consider it cruel and barbaric, we should also consider that this was the preferred method of killing civilians who weren't of the higher class, in Roman times. It is well documented, Christ aside that is.. And now consider that people actually recreate this, nails and all, in some countries every Easter, without chickens, but with human beings who volunteer..