Relying on physical signs to permit slaughter of calves possibly under eight days old

Description

The Chasam Sofer rules that physical signs indicating a calf is not a nefel (such as hard teeth or horns) may be relied upon to permit slaughter even though they lack Talmudic authority. His reasoning is that these signs reduce the relevant minority of nefalim from a 'common minority' to an 'uncommon minority,' which cannot combine with the chazakah to create a Torah-level doubt, allowing the ordinary majority that animals are viable to prevail.