My philosophy is 'As long as it can't hurt them, Why Not!'
Number one killer of winter hives is Mites.
Number two killer of winter hives is Starvation.
Here's the trick Mikey... If it's nice and warm for the bees to fly out to the community feeder, the day may turn cold quickly. That chill can make the bees lethargic and might not make it back to the hive. I have seen this and have had other beekeepers wonder why for no apparent reason there is a couple hundred dead bees in front of the hive. Well, they got too cold to make it back into the entrance. So keep that in mind Mikey.
Love that you ask a bunch of questions! It's good for everyone