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I don't know what kind of predators are around where you live but cats can be pretty resourceful to keep themselves out of trouble. Of course they can be caught by them still, so you'd have to prepare yourself that it's possible to be eaten.
It sounds like you would have a barn that they would have access to, good for shelter from the elements. The females are usually better hunters but my boys can do the job too.
I say if the cats are already feral it can't be any worse than the fate that already awaits them to be farm kitties. Please get them fixed though. I know up here the Feral Cat Coalition will fix them and give first shots for about $25, as long as you promise to feed them.
As you can tell I have a few feral kitties around my place. A few are very friendly now and I can even pet them. They live on my porch and are fed and cared for. A few only show up every so often for food and they want no human contact at all.
You may have to supliment their diet with some cat food and make sure they have access to clean water. They are very resourceful for bedding down but if it's cold and in a barn a few bales of hay might be nice.
You are correct in your assumption that feral cats are usually just put down. They don't have the resources to see if they can be adapted to human contact and it is a long process for a truly feral cat. It took the old man of my clan 3 years before we could pet him. Now Sylvester is the grandpa of the clan and does a wonderful job raising any kittens that show up on our door. All of our cats are fixed btw.
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