Girl gets answer to her prayer with calf

Associated Press Jamie Zimmerhanzel hugs her new calf, named “J” because of the white marking on its head, at their Sweeny, Texas, home April 29. Jamie’s parents were not going to keep any new calves born on their farm, but changed their minds when they saw the distinctive marking matching their daughter’s first initial.

SWEENY, Texas—For Jamie Zimmerhanzel to get to keep a calf from one of her family’s cows, it would have to be a female and have to be black, her father said.

So the 7-year-old prayed hard.

She never imagined how that prayer would be answered.

The second of four calves born was a girl. And it was black. As added proof that it was meant to be Jamie’s, the otherwise all-black calf was born with white hair on its forehead in the shape of the letter J.

“They were all fixing to calf, and I put a new bull on this year so I wanted to see what they were going to look like,” said Mike Zimmerhanzel, Jamie’s dad. “I said, ’I think this cow’s had her calf’ so I was looking out the back porch and she was way out in the field and I saw that was her calf sitting next to her.

“Then I saw that ’J’ and I said Oh my goodness, that thing’s got a ’J’ on its head,” Mike Zimmerhanzel said. “And I said, ’Go get the camera, I guess that’s Jamie’s calf.”’

Jamie said after the first cow had a boy, she was hoping one of the other three would be a girl and checked often to see if one had been born.

“Mommy brought me home from school and she told me there was something special about a calf and I tried to guess it, but I couldn’t guess it,” Jamie said. “I said,’ Oh. My. Gosh. That calf has a ’J’ on its head. That must be my special calf.”

The 6-day-old calf was dubbed J, and Jamie’s mother Jana said Jamie wanted to bottle-feed her. They had to tell her that J had a momma, but Jamie could be her second mom.

“She’s going to keep working with her and help get her used to people,” Jana Zimmerhanzel said. “She’s got to halter-break her so she can lead her. They’re both kind of learning since it’s her first calf and she wants to try to raise her on her own.”

Jamie will get to check on J every day.

“I just like her to stay busy doing something and to have some responsibility,” Jana Zimmerhanzel said. “Even at 7 years old, it’s important to have some responsibility and have something to keep you accountable and not to spend time in front of the TV all the time.”

When Jamie grows up she said she wants to either be a teacher or a veterinarian.

“She likes playing doctor and wrapping things up,” Jana Zimmerhanzel said. “She likes to use all the wrap and her dogs have a lot of broken legs and need treatment they do a lot of pretending.”