I run all mediums, so I can't speak to single deeps, but I usually condense my hives into two mediums for the winter. Smaller weaker colonies sometimes go all the way down to one medium. I have debated trying 3 mediums for big colonies, although I have never done it, but I might if a colony was large enough. To my best knowledge my hives are essentially broodless from sometime in November through at least January. When I close up the hives at the end of October, I like to have all frames without brood packed full of stores, that way I probably won't have to feed to get the colony to spring. Single mediums will invariably need winter food. Looking back at my notes from last year, most of my double medium colonies had about 3 frames of brood and 13 frames of stores (all mediums of course) going into the winter, and only one needed feeding before brood rearing began in late February.