This effect can be used to sex goslings in Embdens and other white domestic breeds but is not 100% reliable, and once adult feathers grow in all the birds are white.

West of England geese and ganders both have a 'special spot' gene. This is hidden by a double copy of the dilution gene in ganders, but shows itself in female geese. While West of England ganders look like Embden ganders, it is likely that a cross with an Embden would not produce auto-sexing offspring.

West of England ganders usually have some traces of grey under the wings or on the thigh coverts to show their slightly different genetic makeup. While a West of England female goose looks a lot like a Pomeranian, Skane or greyback, she will usually have more white on her face and a less well-defined pattern - a very strongly marked bird with no white on the face should raise suspicions that the bird does not carry the dilution gene at all, and may in fact be a gander.

West of Englands can be crossed with Pilgrims to produce auto-sexing offspring in the first generation at least, and the Ashtons say that the Pilgrim colour is dominant. However, there is at least one reported example where this cross has produced saddleback female offspring, so the mechanics are not simple.