Ad libitum milk feeding of neonatal calves improves growth, which is reflected by increased plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and IGF-I. Thus, we hypothesized that ad libitum milk replacer feeding during the first 5 wk of life affects hepatic energy metabolism and immune status before weaning in neonatal calves. Holstein calves were fed colostrum for 3 d followed by milk replacer (MR) feeding (125 g/l water) until wk 9 either restricted to 6 l/d all the time (RES; n = 14) or ad libitum until d 35 and then stepwise reduced in wk 6 to 6 l/d and fed like RES thereafter (ADLIB; n = 14). Calves had free access to concentrate and hay and were slaughtered at d 60 ± 2. Blood samples were taken on d 1, 2, and 7, then weekly until wk 8 for determination of plasma concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig) G1, G2, M, haptoglobin, and fibrinogen. Liver samples were taken at slaughter to determine glycogen concentration and mRNA abundance of IGF-I, IGF and insulin receptor, IGF binding proteins 2, 3, and 4, glucose-6-phosphatase, pyruvate carboxylase, cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK1), and glucose transporter GLUT 2 by quantitative real-time PCR. Data were analyzed by Mixed Model (plasma data) and General Linear Model (mRNA and glycogen data) of SAS. Plasma concentrations of all Ig equally increased (P < 0.05) after first colostrum intake in both groups. Plasma concentrations of fibrinogen (P < 0.05) increased during 1st wk in both group and tended to be greater (P < 0.1) in RES than in ADLIB, whereas plasma haptoglobin concentrations were not affected by feeding. Hepatic glycogen concentration and mRNA abundance were unaffected by feeding except abundance of PCK1 was greater (P < 0.05) in ADLIB than in RES indicating possible influence of intensified milk feeding on gluconeogenesis. The hepatic somatotropic axis was not influenced at slaughter by different early feeding. Therefore, intensive milk feeding for 5 wk had no long-lasting effects on hepatic energy metabolism and Ig status in blood plasma, but may partly affect hepatic acute phase protein response in milk-fed calves.