The objective was to determine the impact of the length of calf receiving milk from its own mother or nursing cow and the sire lineage on the live body growth. 105 Holstein calves (53 M, 52 F, descended from 4 sires) were assigned to one of 3 rearing treatments: M, n = 36, M,F 18, pen with mother (milked from 2nd d) to 21st day, suck a mother’s udder 3 times per d, then group pen (6 kg milk per d, bucket with nipple); N, n = 34, M,F 17, after 3 d with own mother in pen with nursing cow, calves could drink at any time, usually 3–5 times per d, number of calves per nursing cow determined according to milk yield (6 kg milk per d and calf); H, n = 35, M 18, F 17, after having nursed their dams in individual pen for 24 h in hutches from 2nd to 56th d (bucket with nipple, milk replacer, 6 kg per day), then loose housing pen to weaning (bucket with nipple, milk replacer, 6 kg per d). Group M allowed 21 d suckle, 63 d bucket fed; N allowed 84 d suckle; H allowed 1 d suckle, 83 d bucket fed. All calves were weaned at 84th day. From the 2nd day until weaning the calves were offered concentrate mixture and alfalfa hay ad libitum. After weaning from milk feeding, all calves were kept sex separately in age-balanced groups in bedded pens with the same ration. The data were analyzed using a General Linear Model ANOVA. The starting live body weight was not statistically different. At the weaning, the highest live body weight was recorded in group N and the lowest in group H (N 109.85 ± 13.94 kg, M 94.97 ± 16.69 kg, H 80.80 ± 10.87 kg, P < 0.001). The average daily gains from the birth to weaning were 0.81 ± 0.22 kg (N), 0.67 ± 0.31 kg (M), 0.48 ± 0.12 kg (H), (P < 0.001). A significant difference (P < 0.001) was found also for the period from birth to 180th day of life (N 0.82 ± 0.33 kg, M 0.75 ± 0.39 kg, H 0.67 ± 0.36 kg). Trend of higher growth of N and M groups was maintained also in the later period. We did not obtain any sufficient evidence of effects exerted by the sire lineage. The results indicate that the feeding method used to rear calves may have a significant impact on their later performance. This study was possible through projects APVV 15–0060 and QK1910438.